In vitro evaluation of transdermal nicotine delivery systems commercially available in Brazil

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a method for evaluating the release and skin permeation from transdermal nicotine patches using the vertical diffusion cell (VDC). The VDC is an experimental apparatus employed in research, development, and the pharmaceutical field because it can simulate conditions closest to those established in clinical trials. Two transdermal nicotine delivery systems marketed in Brazil to release 14 mg over 24 hours were evaluated. Release studies were carried out using a regenerated cellulose dialysis membrane and permeation studies were carried out using excised porcine ear skin. The results indicated that nicotine release from both evaluated patches follows Higuchi's release kinetics, while skin permeation studies indicated zero-order release kinetics. Nicotine release rates were different between both evaluated patches, but drug permeation rates were not significantly different. According to validation studies, the method was appropriate for evaluating in vitro performance of nicotine patches. The proposed method can be applied to in vitro comparative studies between different commercial nicotine patches and may be used as an auxiliary tool in the design of new transdermal nicotine delivery systems.O objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento e a validação de metodologia empregando a célula de difusão vertical para avaliação da liberação e permeação cutânea in vitro de nicotina a partir de adesivos transdérmicos. A célula de difusão vertical é considerada um aparato experimental importante em pesquisa e desenvolvimento e pode simular condições in vitro próximas aquelas observadas em ensaios clínicos. Neste trabalho foram avaliados dois dispositivos transdérmicos comercializados no Brasil para liberação controlada de 14 mg de nicotina em um período de 24 horas. Realizaram-se ensaios de liberação, usando membranas de diálise de celulose regenerada, e estudos de permeação cutânea, usando pele de orelha de porcos. Os resultados indicaram que a liberação da nicotina em ambos os dispositivos transdérmicos avaliados seguiu a cinética de Higuchi, enquanto que a permeação cutânea seguiu cinética de ordem zero. As velocidades de liberação foram diferentes para os dispositivos comerciais avaliados, entretanto não foram encontradas diferenças significativas para as velocidades de permeação cutânea. Conforme os estudos de validação, a metodologia mostrou-se apropriada para a avaliação in vitro da liberação e permeação cutânea a partir de adesivos transdérmicos de nicotina. O método proposto foi aplicado em estudos comparativos in vitro entre adesivos transdérmicos comerciais contendo nicotina. Deste modo, o método também pôde ser considerado como ferramenta útil que poderia ser aplicada durante o desenvolvimento de novas formulações transdérmicas para liberação de nicotina

Pre-clinical assessment of Roflumilast therapy in a thoracic model of spinal cord injury

The failure of axons to regenerate after a spinal cord injury (SCI) remains one of the greatest challenges in neuroscience. The initial mechanical trauma is followed by a secondary injury cascade, creating a hostile microenvironment, which not only is not permissive to regeneration but also leads to further damage. One of the most promising approaches for promoting axonal regeneration is to maintain the levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), specifically by a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor expressed in neural tissues. Therefore, in our study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of an FDA-approved PDE4 inhibitor, Roflumilast (Rof), in a thoracic contusion rat model. Results indicate that the treatment was effective in promoting functional recovery. Rof-treated animals showed improvements in both gross and fine motor function. Eight weeks post-injury, the animals significantly recovered by achieving occasional weight-supported plantar steps. Histological assessment revealed a significant decrease in cavity size, less reactive microglia, as well as higher axonal regeneration in treated animals. Molecular analysis revealed that IL-10 and IL-13 levels, as well as VEGF, were increased in the serum of Rof-treated animals. Overall, Roflumilast promotes functional recovery and supports neuroregeneration in a severe thoracic contusion injury model and may be important in SCI treatment.This research was supported by Prémios Santa Casa Neurociências—Prize Melo e Castro for Spinal Cord Injury Research (MC-18-2021) and by national funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)—project PTDC/MED-FAR/29751/2017, project UIDB/50026/2020 and UIDP/50026/2020.We would like to acknowledge the financial support by the Foundation for Science and Technology to the following authors: RL (PD/BDE/127836/2016), JRC (SFRH/BD/145860/2019) and NAS (CEECIND/04794/2007). We would like to acknowledge the support of the ICVS Scien tific Microscopy Platform, members of the national infrastructure PPBI—Portuguese Platform of Bioimaging (PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122)

Balanced Scorecard como suporte às decisões gerenciais: estudo comparativo entre propriedades produtoras de leite

Objetivou-se analisar a aplicabilidade da ferramenta de gestão Balanced Scorecard (BSC) em propriedades produtoras de leite, localizadas no sul de Minas Gerais (MG). Pretendeu-se, ainda, realizar um comparativo da sua aplicabilidade em propriedades com diferentes escalas de produção e níveis tecnológicos. O levantamento das informações foi realizado por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas in loco. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados foram utilizados a entrevista pessoal, a análise documental e a observação direta e participante. Para a adaptação do BSC foi realizado o levantamento das características das três propriedades, com a identificação dos seus pontos fortes e fracos, bem como das variáveis chaves de sucesso, base para a formulação da missão e visão estratégica de cada uma. Ao final foi proposto um painel de indicadores de desempenho para auxiliar as decisões gerenciais, bem como elaborado o mapa estratégico para cada uma. Desta forma, compreende-se que a ferramenta gerencial Balanced Scorecard pode ser adaptada a propriedades rurais produtoras de leite, independente do seu nível tecnológico e escala de produção. No entanto, para que se alcance o sucesso na implantação da ferramenta, a estratégia organizacional deve ser conhecida por todos os envolvidos e, claro, exige-se o acompanhamento sistemático por parte dos gestores

Balanced scorecard as support to management decisions: case study in a small property of milk production

Aimed to apply the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in a dairy farm with small-scale production, located in the south of Minas Gerais. The survey was conducted from January to December 2013 and the gathering of information was carried out through semi-structured interviews on the spot. As data collection instruments were used personal interviews, document analysis and direct and participant observation. The farm has 216 ha, 80% of the leased area. The activities are dairy farming, corresponding to 80% of revenues, and the cultivation of coffee. The breeding farm is 22 predominantly Holstein cows (¾ H) that are loose in the pasture. Daily production is 350 liters average of 15.9 liters of milk per cow in milk, in two daily milkings. The strong point is the low cost of labor; while the weak were the infrastructure, the lack of management control and lack of planning. The mission created takes into account the increased efficiency in milk production and increase the quality of this product without increasing the herd. At the end, a strategic map where you can see that the objectives of growth and efficiency will be achieved taking into account the increase in revenue was proposed. It was found at the end of the study, that the principles of BSC can be applied to a farm producer of small milk.Aimed to apply the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) in a dairy farm with small-scale production, located in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The survey was conducted from January to December 2013 and the gathering of information was carried out through semi-structured interviews on the spot. As data collection instruments were used personal interviews, document analysis and direct and participant observation. The farm object of study had 216 ha, 80% of this, leased. The activities were dairy farming, corresponding to 80% of revenues, and the cultivation of coffee. The breeding farm was 22 predominantly Holstein cows (¾ H) that are loose in the pasture. The daily production was 350 liters average of 15.9 liters of milk per cow in milk, in two daily milkings. The main strength was the low cost of hand labor; while the weaknesses identified were the infrastructure, the lack of management control and planning. The mission created takes into account the increased efficiency in milk production and increase the quality of this product without increasing the herd. At the end, a strategic map, where it was revealed that the objectives growth and efficiency will be achieved taking into account the increase in revenue was proposed. It was found at the end of the study, that the principles of BSC can be applied to a farm producing small milk with some caveats

BALANCED SCORECARD COMO SUPORTE ÀS DECISÕES GERENCIAIS: ESTUDO DE CASO EM UMA PROPRIEDADE LEITEIRA DE MÉDIO PORTE

Objetivou-se analisar a aplicabilidade do Balanced Scorecard (BSC) em uma propriedade produtora de leite com média escala de produção, localizada no sul de MG. A pesquisa foi realizada nos meses de janeiro a dezembro de 2013. O levantamento das informações foi realizado por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas in loco. Como instrumentos de coleta de dados foram utilizados a entrevista pessoal, a análise documental e a observação direta e participante. A fazenda possui 396 ha, onde 40% desta área é alugada. As atividades desenvolvidas são a pecuária leiteira, que corresponde a 60% do faturamento, e o cultivo do café, com 40%. O plantel da fazenda é de 164 vacas da raça holandesa, puras por cruzamento ou puras por origem (PC ou PO) que ficam semi-confinadas. A produção média diária é de 3.200kg, média de 19,51 litros de leite por vaca em lactação, em duas ordenhas diárias. Os pontos fortes são a localização, infraestrutura e fonte própria de água; enquanto que os pontos fracos foram, mão de obra, falta de controle e gestão realizada de forma reativa. A missão criada leva em consideração a implantação de melhorias no que diz respeito à gestão, para se alcançar a qualidade dos produtos e dos recursos humanos. Foi proposto um mapa estratégico, onde é possível perceber que os objetivos, crescimento e inovação serão alcançados levando em consideração o aumento da receita. Foi verificado, ao final do estudo, que os princípios do BSC podem ser aplicados a uma propriedade produtora de leite de médio porte

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio