How lipid nanocarriers improve transdermal delivery of olanzapine

The development of a transdermal nanocarrier drug delivery system with potential for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, is described. Lipid nanocarriers (LN), encompassing various solid:liquid lipid compositions were formulated and assessed as potential nanosystems for transdermal delivery of olanzapine. A previously optimized method of hot high pressure homogenization (HPH) was adopted for the production of the LN, which comprised solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) and nanoemulsions (NE). Precirol ® was selected as the solid lipid for progression of studies. SLN exhibited the best performance for transdermal delivery of olanzapine, based on in vitro release and permeation studies, coupled with results from physicochemical characterization of several solid:liquid lipid formulations. Stability tests, performed to give an indication of long-term storage behavior of the formulations, were in good agreement with previous studies for the best choice of solid:liquid lipid ratio. Overall, these findings highlight the SLN-based formulation as promising for the further inclusion in and production of transdermal patches, representing an innovative therapeutic approach

Zebrafish as a disease model for studying human Rett Syndrome

Background: Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder that affects almost exclusively females. This disease is characterized by normal growth and intellectual development until around the first year, then progression in development starts to slow down, with loss of purposeful use of the hands, distinctive hand movements, slowed brain and head growth, problems with walking, seizures, and intellectual disability. Mutations in the X-linked genes methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2) and cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) were described in RTT and recently several bone diseases related with decreased bone mass were also described in those patients, starting early in life. Because zebrafish was largely validated as a model for human diseases, the main objective of this work was to investigate if zebrafish can be a good model to study RTT

Characterisation of Portuguese RC precast industrial building stock

The construction of a vulnerability model requires reliable information on the features of the buildings in the study. The purpose of this work is the characterisation of the precast industrial buildings in Portuguese industrial park, based on the survey of 73 design projects of existing buildings. The collected data are based on a previous study on the features that influence the seismic response of this type of buildings. The parameters collected are associated with the global geometry and specific elements characteristics (e.g., column dimensions, reinforcement ratios, and connections details), to the mechanical properties of the materials and other parameters that can give some important information in the characterisation of the buildings (e.g., construction year and localization). In the end, a comparison with other available databases, namely, from Italy and Turkey, is done in order to conclude about the similarity. This information is important to define representative experimental specimens and numerical simulation to conduce seismic risk analysis.publishe

Campos nativos e matas adjacentes da região de Humaitá (AM): atributos diferenciais dos solos.

Objetivou-se no presente trabalho estabelecer algumas razões da estratificação ambiental entre mata e campo nativo na região de Humaitá (AM). Para tanto, foram observados morfologicamente e amostrados 10 perfis de solos, sendo 5 perfis sob mata e 5 perfis sob campo cerrado nativo

Disclosing Hypoalbuminemia: A Lupus Protein-Losing Enteropathy (Lupple) Report

A enteropatia perdedora de proteínas (EPP) caracteriza-se pela presença de edema generalizado e hipoalbuminemia grave, secundários à perda proteica através do trato gastrointestinal. Os autores reportam um caso de enteropatia perdedora de proteínas secundária a lupus eritematoso sistémico (LES), como a manifestação inicial desta doença. A doente relatava um quadro pautado por 4 meses de diarreia aquosa, não sanguinolenta, (com um máximo de 10 dejeções diárias), e perda ponderal significativa. Posteriormente desenvolveu marcado edema periférico e rash cutâneo malar e maculopapular ao nível do tórax e membros. Analiticamente apresentava anemia, hipoalbuminemia grave, hipocaliémia e hipomagnesémia. No decurso da investigação foram excluídas proteinúria e outras causas de hipoalbuminemia. Após resultados como a pesquisa de anticorpos anti-nucleares e anti-ribonucleoproteinas positiva foi assumido o diagnóstico de EPP secundária ao LES. A doente foi tratada com pulsos de Metilprednisolona 1000 mg/dia durante 3 dias, seguido de prednisolona 1 mg/kg/dia, com boa resposta clínica. Após 20 dias, foi adicionada Azatioprina e iniciado o desmame de corticoides. O presente caso clínico destaca uma EPP como forma de apresentação do LES, cujo diagnóstico pode passar despercebido, tendo em conta a sua raridade, e acarretar um aumento da morbilidade e mortalidade.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Thermo-responsive microemulsions containing deep eutectic-based antibiotic formulations for improved treatment of resistant bacterial ocular infections

The rise of antibiotic resistant strains, as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), challenges the current treatment of infections. In the case of ocular infections, antibiotic eye drops are commonly prescribed. However, their efficacy is usually compromised by the low viscosity of these formulations and the eye drainage. To overcome these drawbacks, deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based microemulsions with thermo-responsive character, that increase their viscosity upon contact with the eye have been developed. Using betaine-based DES aqueous solutions, it is possible to increase up to 140-fold the water solubility of the antibiotic chloramphenicol, typically used in ocular infections. The DES solutions containing the antibiotic are applied as water phases in water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) microemulsions, being stable up to 3 months. Furthermore, a sustained-release and a higher permeation of the antibiotic through the cornea than that of commercialized eye drops is achieved, while presenting comparable cytotoxicity profiles (cell viabilities > 88%). Higher antimicrobial activity and faster action of the antibiotic in case of infection with MRSA is observed compared to the commercialized formulations (7 log10 of inactivation in 48 h vs 72 h). Overall, these microemulsions comprising DES are a promising strategy to achieve higher antibiotic effectiveness in the treatment of resistant bacterial infections.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação genómica nas espécies pecuárias

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

"Sustainable Cellulose Nanofibers-Mediated Synthesis of Uniform Spinel Zn-Ferrites Nanocorals for High Performances in Supercapacitors"

Spinel ferrites are versatile, low-cost, and abundant metal oxides with remarkable electronic and magnetic properties, which find several applications. Among them, they have been considered part of the next generation of electrochemical energy storage materials due to their variable oxidation states, low environmental toxicity, and possible synthesis through simple green chemical processing. However, most traditional procedures lead to the formation of poorly controlled materials (in terms of size, shape, composition, and/or crystalline structure). Thus, we report herein a cellulose nanofibers-mediated green procedure to prepare controlled highly porous nanocorals comprised of spinel Zn-ferrites. Then, they presented remarkable applications as electrodes in supercapacitors, which were thoroughly and critically discussed. The spinel Zn-ferrites nanocorals supercapacitor showed a much higher maximum specific capacitance (2031.81 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1) than Fe2O3 and ZnO counterparts prepared by a similar approach (189.74 and 24.39 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1). Its cyclic stability was also scrutinized via galvanostatic charging/discharging and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, indicating excellent long-term stability. In addition, we manufactured an asymmetric supercapacitor device, which offered a high energy density value of 18.1 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 2609.2 W kg−1 (at 1 A g−1 in 2.0 mol L−1 KOH electrolyte). Based on our findings, we believe that higher performances observed for spinel Zn-ferrites nanocorals could be explained by their unique crystal structure and electronic configuration based on crystal field stabilization energy, which provides an electrostatic repulsion between the d electrons and the p orbitals of the surrounding oxygen anions, creating a level of energy that determines their final supercapacitance then evidenced, which is a very interesting property that could be explored for the production of clean energy storage devices

Assessment of multispectral and hyperspectral imaging systems for digitisation of a Russian icon

In a study of multispectral and hyperspectral reflectance imaging, a Round Robin Test assessed the performance of different systems for the spectral digitisation of artworks. A Russian icon, mass-produced in Moscow in 1899, was digitised by ten institutions around Europe. The image quality was assessed by observers, and the reflectance spectra at selected points were reconstructed to characterise the icon’s colourants and to obtain a quantitative estimate of accuracy. The differing spatial resolutions of the systems affected their ability to resolve fine details in the printed pattern. There was a surprisingly wide variation in the quality of imagery, caused by unwanted reflections from both glossy painted and metallic gold areas of the icon’s surface. Specular reflection also degraded the accuracy of the reconstructed reflectance spectrum in some places, indicating the importance of control over the illumination geometry. Some devices that gave excellent results for matte colour charts proved to have poor performance for this demanding test object. There is a need for adoption of standards for digitising cultural heritage objects to achieve greater consistency of system performance and image quality.This article arose out of a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) conducted by Tatiana Vitorino when visiting University College London during a 2-week period in late October 2015. The research was carried out under the auspices of the European COST Action TD1201 Colour and Space in Cultural Heritage (COSCH). The project website is at http://www.cosch.info. Under the COST rules, TV received funding for travel and accommodation expenses, and all coauthors were able to claim travel expenses to attend the subsequent COSCH project meeting. No other funding was received from COSCH for labour or equipment and all work was done on a voluntary pro bono basis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of HER2 expression on prognosis in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer—results from an international, multicenter analysis coordinated by the AGMT Study Group

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor prognosis, and new treatment options are urgently needed. About 34%-39% of primary TNBCs show a low expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2-low), which is a target for new anti-HER2 drugs. However, little is known about the frequency and the prognostic value of HER2-low in metastatic TNBC. Patients and methods: We retrospectively included patients with TNBC from five European countries for this international, multicenter analysis. Triple-negativity had to be shown in a metastatic site or in the primary breast tumor diagnosed simultaneously or within 3 years before metastatic disease. HER2-low was defined as immunohistochemically (IHC) 1+ or 2+ without ERBB2 gene amplification. Survival probabilities were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by Cox regression models. Results: In total, 691 patients, diagnosed between January 2006 and February 2021, were assessable. The incidence of HER2-low was 32.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 28.5% to 35.5%], with similar proportions in metastases (n = 265; 29.8%) and primary tumors (n = 425; 33.4%; P = 0.324). The median overall survival (OS) in HER2-low and HER2-0 TNBC was 18.6 and 16.1 months, respectively (HR 1.00; 95% CI 0.83-1.19; P = 0.969). Similarly, in multivariable analysis, HER2-low had no significant impact on OS (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.79-1.13; P = 0.545). No difference in prognosis was observed between HER2 IHC 0/1+ and IHC 2+ tumors (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.69-1.17; P = 0.414). Conclusions: In this large international dataset of metastatic TNBC, the frequency of HER2-low was 32.0%. Neither in univariable nor in multivariable analysis HER2-low showed any influence on OS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio