Acetylated cashew gum-based nanoparticles for the incorporation of alkaloid epiisopiloturine

The natural alkaloid epiisopiloturine has recently become the focus of study for various medicinal properties, particularly for its anti-inflammatory and antischistosomal effect. The incorporation of active molecules in natural polymeric matrices has garnered increasing interest during recent decades. A new derivative of cashew gum successfully obtained by gum acetylation has shown great potential as a carrier in controlled drug release systems. In this work, epiisopiloturine was encapsulated in acetylated cashew gum nanoparticles in order to increase solubility and allow slow release, whereas the morphology results were supported by computer simulations. The particles were produced under a variety of conditions, and thoroughly characterized using light scattering and microscopic techniques. The particles were spherical and highly stable in solution, and showed drug incorporation at high levels, up to 55% efficiency. Using a dialysis-based in vitro assay, these particles were shown to release the drug via a Fickian diffusion mechanism, leading to gradual drug release over approximately 6 h. These nanoparticles show potential for the use as drug delivery system, while studies on their potential anti-inflammatory action, as well as toxicity and efficacy assays would need to be performed in the future to confirm their suitability as drug delivery candidates.This work was conducted in partnership with the Polymer Laboratory of the Federal University of Ceará for polymer modification. The authors thanks Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the fellowships SFRH/BD/97995/2013 (AP) and SFRH/BD/95983/2013 (MPA), in the context of the POCH program. The work at UCIBIO/REQUIMTE was supported by FCT through project UID/MULTI/04378/2013 – POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007728 with financial support from FCT/MCTES through national funds and co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020. The work at REQUIMTE/LAQV received financial support from the European Union (FEDER funds through COMPETE) and National Funds (FCT) through project UID/QUI/50006/2013. The computational time was provided by GRID-Unesp, SICC/IFSP and CENAPAD/SP. The authors also acknowledge CNPq and CAPES for a scholarship and financial aid.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

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 understanding 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,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 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 underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities 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 organism 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 neglected 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 lost

Hydraulic conductivity and soil-sewage sludge interactions

One of the main problems faced by humanity is pollution caused by residues resulting from the production and use of goods, e.g, sewage sludge. Among the various alternatives for its disposal, the agricultural use seems promising. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity and interaction of soil with sandy-silty texture, classified as Spodosols, from the Experimental Station Itapirema - IPA, in Goiana, state of Pernambuco, in mixtures with sewage sludge from the Mangueira Sewage Treatment Station, in the city of Recife, Pernambuco at rates of 25, 50 and 75 Mg ha-1. Tests were conducted to let water percolate the natural saturated soil and soil-sludge mixtures to characterize their physical, chemical, and microstructural properties as well as hydraulic conductivity. Statistical data analysis showed that the presence of sewage sludge in soils leads to an increase of the < 0.005 mm fraction, reduction in real specific weight and variation in optimum moisture content from 11.60 to 12.90 % and apparent specific dry weight from 17.10 and 17.50 kN m-3. In the sludge-soil mixture, the quartz grains were covered by sludge and filling of the empty soil macropores between grains. There were changes in the chemical characteristics of soil and effluent due to sewage sludge addition and a small decrease in hydraulic conductivity. The results indicate the possibility that soil acidity influenced the concentrations of the elements found in the leachate, showing higher levels at higher sludge doses. It can be concluded that the leaching degree of potentially toxic elements from the sewage sludge treatments does not harm the environment

Sintomatologia de depressão autorreferida por idosos que vivem em comunidade The symptomatology of self-referred depression by elderly people who live in a shantytown

Este estudo exploratório quantitativo objetivou avaliar a sintomatologia da depressão autorreferida por idosos, considerando variáveis sociodemográficas. Os dados coletados por meio de entrevista semiestruturada e da Escala de Depressão Geriátrica Abreviada envolvendo 240 idosos residentes em João Pessoa (PB), no período de outubro a dezembro de 2010, foram analisados pelos softwares Excel e SPSS. Verificou-se que 75,8% não apresentaram grau de sintomatologia de depressão e 24,2% manifestaram depressão leve ou severa. De acordo com essas varáveis, nesses idosos com grau depressivo verificou-se que: em relação à faixa etária, aqueles com grau depressivo leve e severo destacam maior frequência entre 71 a 76 anos, 31,0%; com relação ao gênero, o feminino destaca-se com 86,0%; sobre o estado civil, os casados com 41,3% e os viúvos com 34,5%; considerando-se a renda familiar, os de 01 até 03 salários mínimos, 50%, apresentaram grau leve; com vistas à escolaridade, dos que não evidenciaram grau de depressão, 84,6%, sabem ler e escrever. Portanto, pode afirmar-se que a sintomatologia da depressão em idosos apresenta relação com as condições socioeconômicas e culturais, fortalecendo a necessidade de políticas públicas de saúde que garantam um atendimento integral e de qualidade, considerando essas variáveis.<br>The scope of this quantitative exploratory study was to evaluate the symptomatology of self-referred depression by the elderly, taking socio-demographic variables into consideration. The data collected by means of semi-structured interviews and the Abbreviated Geriatric Depression Scale involving 240 elderly residents in João Pessoa in the state of Paraíba between October and December 2010 were analyzed by Excel and SPSS software. It was found that 75.8 % had no degree of symptomatology of depression, and 24.2 % manifested mild or severe depression. According to these variables, in the elderly patients with depression it was found that: in relation to age, the elderly with mild and severe depression appear more frequently between 71 to 76 years - 31%; in relation to gender, females stand out with 86%; on marital state, married couples with 41.3 %, and widowers with 34.5 %; considering family income, from 1 up to 3 minimum wages, 50 %, revealed mild incidence; with respect to schooling, elderly people who have no depression, 84.6 %, can read and write. Therefore, it can be said that the symptomatology of depression in the elderly is related to socio-economic and cultural conditions, emphasizing the need for public health policies that ensure comprehensive care and quality considering these variables