Diet Selection by Goats at Kalemando, North Darfur, Sudan

Pressure on rangelands of Sudan has increased in the last few decades due to increase in human population and in animal numbers. The rangelands were also impacted by climate change, desertification, agricultural expansion, mining, and overgrazing. Decreased amounts of rainfall have impoverished the natural rangelands. Goats are capable of grazing on semi-desert regions characterized by low rainfall and scarce grazing plants. It is therefore necessary to know and enhance plant species preferred by goats to properly manage the rangelands. The present study was conducted at Kalemando, North Darfur State during the rainy season of year 2017 when most plants were flowering. The aim was to investigate plant preference by goats under free grazing conditions. A range site of one km2 was selected for the study. The Parker loop method was used to determine botanical composition of herbaceous plants while the point centre quarter method was used to determine density and relative density of trees and shrubs. The bite count technique was used to determine goat diet botanical composition. The herbaceous layer manifested 34 species of which 50.76% were forbs, while grasses constituted 49.24%. The dominant herbaceous plants were Dactyloctenium aegyptium (16.08%), Aristida spp (13.04%), Zaleya Pentandra (9.27%), Trigonella hamosa (8.70%), Echinocloa colona (6.38%) and Aerva javonica (5.36%). Tree and shrub of highest relative density were Acacia tortils (67.86%), Boscia sengalensis (14.29%), and Grewia tenax (3.57%). The diet selected by goats comprised trees/shrubs (42.17%), forbs (36.15%) and grasses (21.68%). Plants most preferred were Commelina kotschyi, Justicia kotschyi, Tribulus terrestris, Trigonella hamosa, Echinocloa colona, Permina resinosa, Grewia tenax. and Acacia mellifera. It is concluded that rehabilitation of rangelands can best be effected by resort to plant species preferred by goats

Platelet lysate-loaded photocrosslinkable hyaluronic acid hydrogels for periodontal endogenous regenerative technology

The integrity and function of the periodontium can be compromised by traumatic injuries or periodontitis. Currently available clinical therapies are able to stop the progression of periodontitis and allow the healing of periodontal tissue. However an optimal strategy capable of restoring the anatomy and functionality of the lost periodontal tissue is still to be achieved. Herein is proposed the development of an injectable hydrogel system able to release a growth factors and cells to the periodontal defect. This injectable system is based on a photocrosslinkable hydrogel, prepared from methacrylated Hyaluronic Acid (me-HA) and incorporating Platelet Lysate (PL). The delivery of growth factors and cells in situ is expected to enhance regeneration of the periodontium. Various formulations of me-HA containing increasing PL concentrations were studied for achieving the formation of stable photocrosslinkable hydrogels. The produced hydrogels were subsequently characterized to assess mechanical properties, degradation, protein/growth factor release profile, antimicrobial activity and response towards human Periodontal Ligament fibroblasts (hPDLFs). The results demonstrated that it was possible to obtain stable photocrosslinkable hydrogels incorporating different amounts of PL that can be released in a sustained manner. Furthermore, the incorporation of PL improved (p<0.02) the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels and enhanced their resilience to the degradation by hyaluronidase (HAase). Additionally, the PL showed to provide antimicrobial properties. Finally, hPDLFs, either seeded or encapsulated into the developed hydrogels, showed enhanced proliferation over time (p<0.05), proportionally to the increasing amounts of PL present in the hydrogel formulations

A platelet lysate antibacterial bioactive patch for tendon repair

Platelet lysate (PL) is a class of platelet-rich hemoderivatives produced by cryogenic disruption of platelet concentrates, originating a pool of supra-physiological concentrations of growth factors (GFs) that is being widely explored in the medical field, namely in sports medicine and orthopaedics. In this concern, patch augmentation strategies have been receiving increased attention as the basis for the development of novel biomaterials aiming at tendon regeneration. In the present work, we assessed PL- membranes as prospective bioinstructive patches under the hypothesis that tendon cells positively respond to PL-derived biochemical signals. For this purpose, PL membranes were fabricated as previously described by Babo et al1 and characterized in terms of degradation, PL-derived proteins and GF release profiles. Cell behaviour was studied in terms of metabolic activity and proliferation, as well as extracellular matrix (ECM) production by culturing human tendon-derived cells (hTDCs) up to 21 days. In addition, the potential of PL membranes as antibacterial surfaces for biomedical implants was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 by determining the number of viable counts, as well as biofilm formation and distribution up to 72h, using PDMS films as controls. Overall, our results showed that PL membranes remained stable for up to 30 days in PBS. In addition, PL-derived proteins, as well as specific GFs like basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB followed a typical controlled release profile, as described by Babo et al1. Regarding the biological performance, PL-membranes were able to control the proliferation of seeded hTDCs, as demonstrated by maintenance of DNA content over 21 days of culture, in comparison to the controls in standard culture plastic. This result strongly suggests that PL-membranes can avoid an extensive proliferative phase, which in vivo is responsible for the formation of scar tissue, a major concern during tendon healing. These cells were metabolically active over time in culture and deposited tendon-related ECM proteins, including collagen types 1 and 3 and tenascin-C. Additionally, PL- membranes exhibited a significantly reduced number of viable counts of S. aureus, together with diminished bacteria adherence after 24h of incubation. No biofilm formation was observed in comparison to PDMS controls. Altogether, our results demonstrate that these PL-membranes can modulate cellular activity in situ, acting as a reservoir of bioactive molecules derived from PL, which supports their application as bioinstructive and protective patches for tendon regeneration. Finally, exploring the multitude of features of crosslinked PL proteins can potentially uncover uncharted prospective applications in regenerative medicine. References: 1. Babo P. Inflamm Regen. 2014; 34:33-44. Acknowledgements: The authors thank FCTâ Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in the framework of FCT-POPH-FSE, RC-A PhD grant SFRH/BD/96593/2013, ARF Post-Doc grant SFRH/BPD/100760/2014, and MEG grant IF/00685/2012. FCT–Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in the framework of FCT-POPH-FSE, RC-A PhDgrant SFRH/BD/96593/2013, ARF Post-Doc grant SFRH/BPD/100760/2014, and MEG grant F/00685/2info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Short film production in educational contexts: exploring the methodology of the Olhar pela Lente project in Portugal

Cinema’s pedagogical essence nurtures a variety of educational strategies. Beyond serving as a support to other areas of knowledge or as the subject of artistic analysis, it also provides students with a means to give – freely and significantly – voice to their own concerns and interests. Short film production in schools can offer a process for young people to deal with personal and social challenges, fostering a closer connection between them and their community and environment. Schools are natural habitats for this encounter – a place where film production can generate significant educational and cultural resonance. This paper reflects on the didactic potential of short film production in schools – as a key to fulfil formal and non-formal pedagogical goals – through the presentation and analysis of a recently implemented methodology for education through film: Olhar pela Lente, a project developed in Portugal during 2018.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Supercritical fluid technology as a tool to prepare gradient multifunctional architectures towards regeneration of osteochondral injuries

Platelet lysates (PLs) are a natural source of growth factors (GFs) known for its stimulatory role on stem cells which can be obtained after activation of platelets from blood plasma. The possibility to use PLs as growth factor source for tissue healing and regeneration has been pursued following different strategies. Platelet lysates are an enriched pool of growth factors which can be used as either a GFs source or as a three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel. However, most of current PLs-based hydrogels lack stability, exhibiting significant shrinking behavior. This chapter focuses on the application of supercritical fluid technology to develop three-dimensional architectures of PL constructs, crosslinked with genipin. The proposed technology allows in a single step operation the development of mechanically stable porous structures, through chemical crosslinking of the growth factors present in the PL pool, followed by supercritical drying of the samples. Furthermore gradient structures of PL-based structures with bioactive glass are also presented and are described as an interesting approach to the treatment of osteochondral defects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Roflumilast in moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with longacting bronchodilators: two randomised clinical trials

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have few options for treatment. The efficacy and safety of the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor roflumilast have been investigated in studies of patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, but not in those concomitantly treated with longacting inhaled bronchodilators. The effect of roflumilast on lung function in patients with COPD that is moderate to severe who are already being treated with salmeterol or tiotropium was investigated. Methods In two double-blind, multicentre studies done in an outpatient setting, after a 4-week run-in, patients older than 40 years with moderate-to-severe COPD were randomly assigned to oral roflumilast 500 mu g or placebo once a day for 24 weeks, in addition to salmeterol (M2-127 study) or tiotropium (M2-128 study). The primary endpoint was change in prebronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV(1)). Analysis was by intention to treat. The studies are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00313209 for M2-127, and NCT00424268 for M2-128. Findings In the salmeterol plus roflumilast trial, 466 patients were assigned to and treated with roflumilast and 467 with placebo; in the tiotropium plus roflumilast trial, 371 patients were assigned to and treated with roflumilast and 372 with placebo. Compared with placebo, roflumilast consistently improved mean prebronchodilator FEV(1) by 49 mL (p<0.0001) in patients treated with salmeterol, and 80 mL (p<0.0001) in those treated with tiotropium. Similar improvement in postbronchodilator FEV(1) was noted in both groups. Furthermore, roflumilast had beneficial effects on other lung function measurements and on selected patient-reported outcomes in both groups. Nausea, diarrhoea, weight loss, and, to a lesser extent, headache were more frequent in patients in the roflumilast groups. These adverse events were associated with increased patient withdrawal. Interpretation Roflumilast improves lung function in patients with COPD treated with salmeterol or tiotropium, and could become an important treatment for these patients

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]