Three-Dimensional and Biomimetic Technology in Cardiac Injury After Myocardial Infarction: Effect of Acellular Devices on Ventricular Function and Cardiac Remodelling

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DMC) of ischemic or non-ischemic aetiology remains a lethal condition nowadays. Despite early percutaneous or medical revascularization after an acute myocardial infarct (AMI), many patients still develop DMC and severe heart failure due to cardiac remodelling. Possibility of regenerating myocardium already damaged or at least inducing a more positive cardiac remodelling with use of biodegradable scaffolds has been attempted in many experimental studies, which can be cellular or acellular. In the cellular scaffolds, the cells are incorporated in the structure prior to implantation of the same into the injured tissue. Acellular scaffolds, in turn, are composites that use one or more biomaterials present in the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as proteoglycans non-proteoglycan polysaccharide, proteins and glycoproteins to stimulate the chemotaxis of cellular/molecular complexes as growth factors to initiate specific regeneration. For the development of scaffold, the choice of biomaterials to be used must meet specific biological, chemical and architectural requirements like ECM of the tissue of interest. In acute myocardial infarction, treating the root of the problem by repairing injured tissue is more beneficial to the patient. Inducing more constructive forms of endogenous repair. Thus, patches of acellular scaffolds capable of mimicking the epicardium and ECM should be able to attenuate both cardiac remodelling and adverse cardiac dysfunction

Data standardization of plant–pollinator interactions

Background: Animal pollination is an important ecosystem function and service, ensuring both the integrity of natural systems and human well-being. Although many knowledge shortfalls remain, some high-quality data sets on biological interactions are now available. The development and adoption of standards for biodiversity data and metadata has promoted great advances in biological data sharing and aggregation, supporting large-scale studies and science-based public policies. However, these standards are currently not suitable to fully support interaction data sharing. Results: Here we present a vocabulary of terms and a data model for sharing plant–pollinator interactions data based on the Darwin Core standard. The vocabulary introduces 48 new terms targeting several aspects of plant–pollinator interactions and can be used to capture information from different approaches and scales. Additionally, we provide solutions for data serialization using RDF, XML, and DwC-Archives and recommendations of existing controlled vocabularies for some of the terms. Our contribution supports open access to standardized data on plant–pollinator interactions. Conclusions: The adoption of the vocabulary would facilitate data sharing to support studies ranging from the spatial and temporal distribution of interactions to the taxonomic, phenological, functional, and phylogenetic aspects of plant–pollinator interactions. We expect to fill data and knowledge gaps, thus further enabling scientific research on the ecology and evolution of plant–pollinator communities, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, and the development of public policies. The proposed data model is flexible and can be adapted for sharing other types of interactions data by developing discipline-specific vocabularies of termsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação de laboratórios brasileiros na determinação de alguns parâmetros de qualidade de biocombustíveis

This work shows the results of a Proficiency Testing performed by a partnership between INMETRO and ANP. The performance of 49 Brazilian laboratories (using the z-score statistical test) in determining 10 quality parameters of ethanol fuel and biodiesel was evaluated. The certified reference values were provided by INMETRO, allowing a more rigorous assessment of the laboratories. For hydrous ethanol, the acidity parameter showed the lowest number of laboratories with satisfactory results (48%), while 85% of the laboratories presented satisfactory results for ethanol content. For biodiesel, the percentage of laboratories with satisfactory results ranged from 46% (kinematic viscosity) to 92% (acid number)

Schistosomal portal hypertension. Assessment of portal bood flow before and after surgical treatment

Objetivo: Avaliar o fluxo sanguíneo portal na esquistossomose hepato-esplênica e o efeito tardio do tratamento cirúrgico na hemodinâmica portal. Método: Foram estudados 64 pacientes por Doppler dúplex: grupo I (pacientes com hipertensão portal esquistossomótica); grupo II (pacientes submetidos a desconexão ázigo-portal com esplenectomia) e grupo III (pacientes submetidos derivação esplenorrenal distal). Resultados: O fluxo da veia porta foi maior no grupo I (1954,46 ± 693,73ml/min) e foi menor no grupo III (639,55 ± 285,86ml/min), neste correlacionou-se com o tempo pós-operatório (r=-0,67, p=0,0005). O fluxo sangüíneo portal do grupo II (1097,18 ± 342,12ml/min) foi semelhante ao de indivíduos normais. As mesmas alterações foram verificadas com relação ao diâmetro da veia porta nos grupos I, II, e III (cm): 1,46 ± 0,23; 1,12 ± 0,22; 0,93 ± 0,20, respectivamente. Conclusões: Estes dados sugerem que: 1) Existe hiperfluxo portal na fisiopatologia da hipertensão portal esquistossomótica; 2) o tratamento cirúrgico interferiu na hemodinâmica portal, diminuindo o fluxo sangüíneo da veia porta; 3) Esta redução do fluxo sangüíneo portal correlacionou-se com o tempo de seguimento pós-operatório no grupo III mas não no grupo II. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Background: Assessment of the portal blood flow in hepatoesplenic schistosomosis and the late effect of surgical treatment on portal hemodynamics. Method: Were studied 64 patients by duplex scan: group I (patients with schistosomal portal hypertension); group II (patients who underwent esophagogastric devascularization and splenectomy); group III (patients who underwent distal splenorenal shunt). Results: Portal vein blood flow was the highest in group I (1954.46 ± 693.73 ml/min) and the lowest in group III (639.55 ± 285.86 ml/min) which correlated with follow-up time (r=-0.67, p=0.0005). Group II portal flow (1097.18 ± 342.12 ml/min) was similar to control. The same changes were seen in portal vein diameter in groups I, II, III (cm): 1.46 ± 0.23, 1.12 ± 0.22, 0.93 ± 0.20, respectively. Conclusions: Our data suggest that: 1) there is portal overflow in the physiopathology of schistosomal portal hypertension; 2) surgical treatment has interfered in hemodynamic reducing portal venous blood flow; 3) portal venous blood flow reduction correlated with follow-up time in group III but not in group II

Genome of Herbaspirillum seropedicae Strain SmR1, a Specialized Diazotrophic Endophyte of Tropical Grasses

The molecular mechanisms of plant recognition, colonization, and nutrient exchange between diazotrophic endophytes and plants are scarcely known. Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic bacterium capable of colonizing intercellular spaces of grasses such as rice and sugar cane. The genome of H. seropedicae strain SmR1 was sequenced and annotated by The Paraná State Genome Programme—GENOPAR. The genome is composed of a circular chromosome of 5,513,887 bp and contains a total of 4,804 genes. The genome sequence revealed that H. seropedicae is a highly versatile microorganism with capacity to metabolize a wide range of carbon and nitrogen sources and with possession of four distinct terminal oxidases. The genome contains a multitude of protein secretion systems, including type I, type II, type III, type V, and type VI secretion systems, and type IV pili, suggesting a high potential to interact with host plants. H. seropedicae is able to synthesize indole acetic acid as reflected by the four IAA biosynthetic pathways present. A gene coding for ACC deaminase, which may be involved in modulating the associated plant ethylene-signaling pathway, is also present. Genes for hemagglutinins/hemolysins/adhesins were found and may play a role in plant cell surface adhesion. These features may endow H. seropedicae with the ability to establish an endophytic life-style in a large number of plant species

Understanding the clinical spectrum of complicated Plasmodium vivax malaria: a systematic review on the contributions of the Brazilian literature

The resurgence of the malaria eradication agenda and the increasing number of severe manifestation reports has contributed to a renewed interested in the Plasmodium vivax infection. It is the most geographically widespread parasite causing human malaria, with around 2.85 billion people living under risk of infection. The Brazilian Amazon region reports more than 50% of the malaria cases in Latin America and since 1990 there is a marked predominance of this species, responsible for 85% of cases in 2009. However, only a few complicated cases of P. vivax have been reported from this region. A systematic review of the Brazilian indexed and non-indexed literature on complicated cases of vivax malaria was performed including published articles, masters' dissertations, doctoral theses and national congresses' abstracts. The following information was retrieved: patient characteristics (demographic, presence of co-morbidities and, whenever possible, associated genetic disorders); description of each major clinical manifestation. As a result, 27 articles, 28 abstracts from scientific events' annals and 13 theses/dissertations were found, only after 1987. Most of the reported information was described in small case series and case reports of patients from all the Amazonian states, and also in travellers from Brazilian non-endemic areas. The more relevant clinical complications were anaemia, thrombocytopaenia, jaundice and acute respiratory distress syndrome, present in all age groups, in addition to other more rare clinical pictures. Complications in pregnant women were also reported. Acute and chronic co-morbidities were frequent, however death was occasional. Clinical atypical cases of malaria are more frequent than published in the indexed literature, probably due to a publication bias. In the Brazilian Amazon (considered to be a low to moderate intensity area of transmission), clinical data are in accordance with the recent findings of severity described in diverse P. vivax endemic areas (especially anaemia in Southeast Asia), however in this region both children and adults are affected. Finally, gaps of knowledge and areas for future research are opportunely pointed out