Bio-oils/FCC co-processing : Insights into the adsorption of guaiacol on Y zeolites with distinct acidity and textural properties

Acknowledgments The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) for financial funding (UIDB/00100/2020 and UIDP/00100/2020). Fernandes also thanks FCT for researcher contract hiring (DL No. 57/2016 regulation).Peer reviewedPostprin

Dyspeptic symptoms in patients with type 1 diabetes: endoscopic findings, helicobacter pylori infection, and associations with metabolic control, mood disorders and nutritional factors

To evaluate, in a group of patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes (DM1), an association of dyspepsia symptoms with: changes in the gastroduodenal mucosa, infection by Helicobacter pylori, glycemic control, and psychological and nutritional factors. Subjects and methods: A total of 32 patient with DM1 were studied (age: 38 +/- 9 years; females: 25; diabetes duration: 22 +/- 5 years). All patients answered a standardized questionnaire for the evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms and underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, with gastric biopsies for the evaluation of Helicobacter pylori infection. The presence of anxiety and depression was evaluated by the HAD scale. Nutritional parameters were BMI, arm and waist circumference, skinfold measurement, and body fat percentage. Results: Upper endoscopy detected lesions in the gastric mucosa in 34.4% of the patients, with similar frequency in those with (n = 21) and without dyspepsia (n = 11). The patients with dyspepsia complaints showed greater frequency of depression (60% vs. 0%; p = 0.001), higher values for HbA1c (9.6 +/- 1.7 vs. 8.2 +/- 1.3%; p = 0.01) and lower values for BMI (24.3 +/- 4.1 vs. 27.2 +/- 2.6 kg/m(2); p = 0.02), body fat percentage (26.6 +/- 6.2 vs. 30.8 +/- 7.7%; p = 0.04), and waist circumference (78.7 +/- 8 vs. 85.8 +/- 8.1 cm; p = 0.02). No association was found between the symptoms and the presence of Helicobacter pylori. Dyspepsia symptoms in patients with long-standing DM1 were associated with glycemic control and depression, and they seem to negatively influence the nutritional status of these patients59212913

Aproveitamento do endocarpo de café para a produção de carvões activados por activação física

Os carvões activados produzidos são todos de natureza básica com ponto de carga zero (pcz) entre 9 e 12, tendo-se verificado que a activação com CO2 produz amostras com maiores valores de pcz quando comparadas com a activação com vapor de água. A densidade de hélio aumenta com o grau de queima e está compreendida entre os valores 0.97 e 1.34 g/cm3. A caracterização textural foi realizada através da adsorção de azoto a 77K e análise das isotérmicas pelos métodos BET, DR e s. As amostras são na generalidade microporosas com isotérmicas do tipo I, de acordo com a classificação da IUPAC. As amostras produzidas por activação com vapor de água apresentam área aparente BET situada entre 150 e 615m2g-1 e o volume poroso entre 0.09 e 0.36cm3g-1, enquanto que para as amostras activadas com CO2 os valores obtidos são 200 a 1300 m2g-1 e 0.09 a 0.64cm3g-1, respectivamente. Verificou-se que, de uma forma geral, na activação com CO2 o tempo de carbonização e a lavagem dos carvões activados produzidos influencia a porosidade das amostras. Por FTIR foi também possível identificar como grupos principais na superfície dos carvões activados os grupos aldeido, cetonas, hidroxilos (livres e fenol) e ligações Si-H. A química superficial é muito semelhante nos carvões produzidos por ambos os processos. No decorrer do congresso serão apresentados resultados da aplicação de outras técnicas de caracterização bem como os resultados completos da caracterização textural e química. Como conclusão geral podemos dizer que os resíduos testados são um precursor promissor para a produção de carvões activados com a inerente vantagem de promover a minimização da produção de resíduos industriais com a sua reutilização e criação de mais valias económicas. Concluímos também que a activação com vapor de água tem uma reactividade maior do que a activação com CO2 e que esta última produz amostra com porosidade mais desenvolvida

Trypanosoma Cruzi Isolated From A Triatomine Found In One Of The Biggest Metropolitan Areas Of Latin America

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)To characterize Trypanosoma cruzi (TcI) isolated from a Panstrongylus megistus specimen found in one of the biggest metropolitan areas of Latin America, the relationship between the TcI group of T. cruzi and the transmission cycle in the urban environment was studied. Methods: The T. cruzi strain, Pm, was isolated in a culture medium from the evolutionary forms present in the hindgut of a live male specimen of P. megistus found in the Jabaquara subway in Sao Paulo City. The sample from the triatomine showed trypomastigote forms of Trypanosomatidae, which were inoculated in the peritoneum of Balb/c mice. The sample was then inoculated in Liver Infusion Tryptose medium and J774 cells for the molecular identification and characterization of the parasite. The Pm strain of T. cruzi was identified by isolation in axenic culture medium, and based on the morphology, cell infection, growth kinetics, and molecular characterization. Results: After isolation, the protozoan was identified as T. cruzi. No parasites were detected in the peripheral blood of the animal, which can be a characteristic inherent to the strain of T. cruzi that was isolated. Cell invasion assays were performed in triplicate in the J774 cell line to confirm the invasive ability of the Pm strain and revealed amastigote forms of the parasite within macrophages. Conclusions: Our biological and molecular characterizations helped understand parasite-host interactions and their evolutionary history in context of the associations between vectors, ecotopes, hosts, and groups of the parasite.492183189Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Brasilia, DF, BrazilPrograma de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico (PADC)Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas (FCFAR)Campus de Araraquara, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)Instituto de Biologia (IB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Molecular Imaging of Microglial Activation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

There is growing evidence of activated microglia and inflammatory processes in the cerebral cortex in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Activated microglia is characterized by increased expression of the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO) in the brain and may be a useful biomarker of inflammation. In this study, we evaluated neuroinflammation in ALS patients using a radioligand of TSPO, 18F-DPA-714. Ten patients with probable or definite ALS (all right-handed, without dementia, and untreated by riluzole or other medication that might bias the binding on the TSPO), were enrolled prospectively and eight healthy controls matched for age underwent a PET study. Comparison of the distribution volume ratios between both groups were performed using a Mann-Whitney’s test. Significant increase of distribution of volume ratios values corresponding to microglial activation was found in the ALS sample in primary motor, supplementary motor and temporal cortex (p = 0.009, p = 0.001 and p = 0.004, respectively). These results suggested that the cortical uptake of 18F-DPA-714 was increased in ALS patients during the ‘‘time of diagnosis’’ phase of the disease. This finding might improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of ALS and might be a surrogate marker of efficacy of treatment on microglial activation

The Story of the Dopamine Transporter PET Tracer LBT-999: From Conception to Clinical Use

The membrane dopamine transporter (DAT) is involved in a number of brain disorders and its exploration by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is highly relevant for the early and differential diagnosis, follow-up and treatment assessment of these diseases. A number of carbon-11 and fluor-18 labeled tracers are to date available for this aim, the majority of them being derived from the chemical structure of cocaine. The development of such a tracer, from its conception to its use, is a long process, the expected result being to obtain the best radiopharmaceutical adapted for clinical protocols. In this context, the cocaine derivative (E)-N-(4-fluorobut-2-enyl)2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4′-tolyl)nortropane, or LBT-999, has passed all the required stages of the development that makes it now a highly relevant imaging tool, particularly in the context of Parkinson's disease. This review describes the different steps of the development of LBT-999 which initially came from its non-fluorinated derivative (E)-N-(3-iodoprop-2-enyl)-2-carbomethoxy-3-(4-methylphenyl) nortropane, or PE2I, because of its high promising properties. [18F]LBT-999 has been extensively characterized in rodent and non-human primate models, in which it demonstrated its capability to explore in vivo the DAT localized at the dopaminergic nerve endings as well as at the mesencephalic cell bodies, in physiological conditions. In lesion-induced rat models of Parkinson's disease, [18F]LBT-999 was able to precisely quantify in vivo the dopaminergic neuron loss, and to assess the beneficial effects of therapeutic approaches such as pharmacological treatment and cell transplantation. Finally recent clinical data demonstrated the efficiency of [18F]LBT-999 in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

Re-use assessment of thermoset composite wastes as aggregate and filler replacement for concrete-polymer composite materials: a case study regarding GFRP pultrusion wastes

Glass fibre-reinforced plastics (GFRP), nowadays commonly used in the construction, transportation and automobile sectors, have been considered inherently difficult to recycle due to both the cross-linked nature of thermoset resins, which cannot be remoulded, and the complex composition of the composite itself, which includes glass fibres, polymer matrix and different types of inorganic fillers. Hence, to date, most of the thermoset based GFRP waste is being incinerated or landfilled leading to negative environmental impacts and additional costs to producers and suppliers. With an increasing awareness of environmental matters and the subsequent desire to save resources, recycling would convert an expensive waste disposal into a profitable reusable material. In this study, the effect of the incorporation of mechanically recycled GFRP pultrusion wastes on flexural and compressive behaviour of polyester polymer mortars (PM) was assessed. For this purpose, different contents of GFRP recyclates (0%, 4%, 8% and 12%, w/w), with distinct size grades (coarse fibrous mixture and fine powdered mixture), were incorporated into polyester PM as sand aggregates and filler replacements. The effect of the incorporation of a silane coupling agent was also assessed. Experimental results revealed that GFRP waste filled polymer mortars show improved mechanical behaviour over unmodified polyester based mortars, thus indicating the feasibility of GFRP waste reuse as raw material in concrete-polymer composites

Production of Activated Carbons from Coffee Endocarp by CO2 and Steam Activation

In this work the use of coffee endocarp as precursor for the production of activated carbons by steam and CO2 was studied. Activation by both methods produces activated carbons with small external areas and microporous structures having very similar mean pore widths. The activation produces mainly primary micropores and only a small volume of larger micropores. The CO2 activation leads to samples with higher BET surface areas and pore volumes when compared with samples produced by steam activation and with similar burn-off value. All the activated carbons produced have basic characteristics with point of zero charge between 10 and 12. By FTIR it was possible to identify the formation on the activated carbon's surface of several functional groups, namely ether, quinones, lactones, ketones, hydroxyls (free and phenol); pyrones and Si–H bonds

Evaluation of push and pull communication models on a VANET with virtual traffic lights

It is expected in a near future that safety applications based on vehicle-to-everything communications will be a common reality in the traffic roads. This technology will contribute to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, for example, with the use of virtual traffic light systems (VTLS) in the intersections. This work implements and evaluates a VTLS conceived to help the pedestrians pass safely the intersections without real traffic lights. The simulated VTLS scenario used two distinct communication paradigms—the pull and push communication models. The pull model was implemented in named data networking (NDN), because NDN uses natively a pull-based communication model, where consumers send requests to pull the contents from the provider. A distinct approach is followed by the push-based model, where consumers subscribe previously the information, and then the producers distribute the available information to those consumers. Comparing the performance of the push and pull models on a VANET with VTLS, it is observed that the push mode presents lower packet loss and generates fewer packets, and consequently occupies less bandwidth, than the pull mode. In fact, for the considered metrics, the VTLS implemented with the pull mode presents no advantage when compared with the push mode.This work has been supported by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2020 and by the European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project nº 039334; Funding Reference: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-039334]

Immunogenicity of influenza H1N1 vaccination in mixed connective tissue disease: effect of disease and therapy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the potential acute effects regarding the immunogenicity and safety of non-adjuvanted influenza A H1N1/2009 vaccine in patients with mixed connective tissue disease and healthy controls. METHODS: Sixty-nine mixed connective tissue disease patients that were confirmed by Kasukawa's classification criteria and 69 age- and gender-matched controls participated in the study; the participants were vaccinated with the non-adjuvanted influenza A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) virus-like strain. The percentages of seroprotec-tion, seroconversion, geometric mean titer and factor increase in the geometric mean titer were calculated. The patients were clinically evaluated, and blood samples were collected pre- and 21 days post-vaccination to evaluate C-reactive protein, muscle enzymes and autoantibodies. Anti-H1N1 titers were determined using an influenza hemagglutination inhibition assay. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01151644. RESULTS: Before vaccination, no difference was observed regarding the seroprotection rates (p = 1.0) and geometric mean titer (p = 0.83) between the patients and controls. After vaccination, seroprotection (75.4% vs. 71%, (p = 0.7), seroconversion (68.1% vs. 65.2%, (p = 1.00) and factor increase in the geometric mean titer (10.0 vs. 8.0, p = 0.40) were similar in the two groups. Further evaluation of seroconversion in patients with and without current or previous history of muscle disease (p = 0.20), skin ulcers (p = 0.48), lupus-like cutaneous disease (p = 0.74), secondary Sjogren syndrome (p = 0.78), scleroderma-pattern in the nailfold capillaroscopy (p = 1.0), lymphopenia #1000/mm³ on two or more occasions (p = 1.0), hypergammaglobulinemia $1.6 g/d (p = 0.60), pulmonary hypertension (p = 1.0) and pulmonary fibrosis (p = 0.80) revealed comparable rates. Seroconversion rates were also similar in patients with and without immunosuppressants. Disease parameters, such as C-reactive protein (p = 0.94), aldolase (p = 0.73), creatine phosphokinase (p = 0.40) and ribonucleoprotein antibody levels (p = 0.98), remained largely unchanged pre and post-vaccination. No severe side effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The non-adjuvanted influenza A/H1N1 vaccination immune response in mixed connective tissue disease patients is adequate and does not depend on the disease manifestations and therapy