Chemical and sensorial characterization of tropical syrah wines produced at different altitudes in northeast of the Brazil.

Over the years, viticulture has expanded to new regions outside the temperate zones, such as Northeast Brazil, India, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Venezuela, characterized by the production of tropical wines. It is important for the productive sector to comprehend the effects of grapevine interaction with the characteristics of each new region on wines composition. In this study, the composition of wines of Syrah from two regions with different altitudes in Northeast Brazil were analyzed by different methodologies to characterize chemical compounds as sugar, acids, minerals, phenolics (anthocyanins, flavonols, stilbenes and condensed tannins) and the sensory profile. The wines of the Bahia region (1100 m of altitude) obtained high concentrations for chemical parameters related to color, monomeric anthocyanins, stilbenes and monomeric and oligomeric tannins. Wines of the low altitude region, Pernambuco (350 m of altitude) were characterized by higher concentrations of flavonols (kaempferol, isorhamnetin, quercetin and rutin) and polymerized tannins. The chemical composition of wines from the two studied regions was influenced by altitude. A trend towards higher concentrations in most for phenolic compounds analyzed was observed in wines from the higher altitude region during the two years of study. Regarding the sensory profile, fruity, floral, herbaceous and empyreumatic attributes aromatic obtained highest scores in wines of the 350 m altitude region, the other attributes were dependent on the year of harvest

1-Methyl-7-(4-nitro­phen­yl)-3-phenyl­pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrrolo[3,4-d]pyridine-6,8(3H,7H)-dione

In the title compound, C21H13N5O4, the dihedral angles formed between the planes of the phenyl and nitro­phenyl rings and that of the heterotricyclic plane are 41.29 (7) and 61.35 (6)°, respectively. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯O interactions help to establish the packing

Deep reefs are not refugium for shallow-water fish communities in the southwestern Atlantic

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M1. The deep reef refugia hypothesis (DRRH) predicts that deep reef ecosystems may act as refugium for the biota of disturbed shallow waters. Because deep reefs are among the most understudied habitats on Earth, formal tests of the DRRH remain scarce. If the DRRH is valid at the community level, the diversity of species, functions, and lineages of fish communities of shallow reefs should be encapsulated in deep reefs. 2. We tested the DRRH by assessing the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of 22 Brazilian fish communities between 2 and 62 m depth. We partitioned the gamma diversity of shallow (30 m) into independent alpha and beta components, accounted for species' abundance, and assessed whether beta patterns were mostly driven by spatial turnover or nestedness. 3. We recorded 3,821 fishes belonging to 85 species and 36 families. Contrary to DRRH expectations, only 48% of the species occurred in both shallow and deep reefs. Alpha diversity of rare species was higher in deep reefs as expected, but alpha diversity of typical and dominant species did not vary with depth. Alpha functional diversity was higher in deep reefs only for rare and typical species, but not for dominant species. Alpha phylogenetic diversity was consistently higher in deep reefs, supporting DRRH expectations. 4. Profiles of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic beta diversity indicated that deep reefs were not more heterogeneous than shallow reefs, contradicting expectations of biotic homogenization near sea surface. Furthermore, pairwise beta-diversity analyses revealed that the patterns were mostly driven by spatial turnover rather than nestedness at any depth. 5. Conclusions. Although some results support the DRRH, most indicate that the shallow-water reef fish diversity is not fully encapsulated in deep reefs. Every reef contributes significantly to the regional diversity and must be managed and protected accordingly

AS HEPATITES VIRAIS NO BRASIL: UMA ANÁLISE A PARTIR DOS SEUS TERRITÓRIOS

As hepatites virais são doenças provocadas por diferentes agentes etiológicos que afetam particularmente o fígado. No Brasil, estudos indicaram a prevalência heterogênea das diferentes hepatites: de 39,5% da infecção prévia pelo VHA; de 7,4% da infecção prévia pelo VHB; de 0,37% do portador crônico do VHB e de 1,38% da infecção pelo VHC. No entanto, são escassos ou inexistem estudos sobre a distribuição das hepatites virais pelas unidades da federação com o uso de mapas. Assim, objetiva-se mapear a ocorrência das hepatites virais A, B, C e D, no período de 2010 a 2014, por meio de indicadores e propondo hipóteses iniciais para explicar sua territorialização, seu território e suas territorialidades. Para isso, analisou-se a ocorrência das hepatites virais por meio dos casos confirmados e das taxas de incidências, a partir de dados obtidos do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação – SINAN e realizou-se o mapeamento com o software QGIS. A análise possibilitou o entendimento do mapa das hepatites virais no Brasil e permitiu perceber que as suas relações estão especialmente territorializadas na região Norte onde se encontram os seus principais territórios, com destaque para o Acre, que registrou as maiores incidências das hepatites A, B e D e a segunda maior da hepatite C.  Esse trabalho pode auxiliar no planejamento das ações de saúde e indicar os locais prioritários para investimento em educação, habitação, saneamento básico e educação relacionadas às hepatites virais

Tinnitus emerging in the context of a COVID-19 infection seems not to differ in its characteristics from tinnitus unrelated to COVID-19

Background and aim: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, for which the first cases were reported in China, by December 2019. The spectrum of clinical presentations is wide, ranging from asymptomatic cases to a severe acute respiratory syndrome, sometimes with multiple systems involvement. Viral infections, including those related to respiratory virus, may cause hearing loss and, by extent, considering its pathophysiology, tinnitus. A systematic review on inner ear related symptoms in patients with COVID-19 reported 4.5% occurrence rate of tinnitus, with high variance of prevalence between the studies. Our aim is to further explore the relationship between COVID-19 and tinnitus. For this purpose we analyzed a sample of people who had suffered from a COVID-19 infection in the city of Volta Redonda, Brazil. In detail, we compared those with new onset tinnitus during or after the COVID-19 infection with those without tinnitus and those with tinnitus onset before the COVID-19 infection. Methods: Fifty-seven patients over 18 years old and previously diagnosed with COVID-19 confirmed by a RT-PCR test were included. Patients were subdivided in three groups: no tinnitus (NT), tinnitus that already existed before COVID-19 (chronic tinnitus, CT) and tinnitus that arose during or after COVID-19 (post-COVID-19 tinnitus, PCT). Data concerning COVID-19 symptoms, drugs prescribed for COVID-19, tinnitus characteristics, comorbidities and other otological symptoms were collected. For all the patients, tonal audiometry and otoacoustic emissions were performed. Tinnitus patients fulfilled the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and visual-analog scales (VAS) for loudness and distress. Patients with CT answered a simple question about the worsening of their tinnitus after COVID-19. Results: PCT was reported by 19.3% of the patients, while 22.8% reported CT. No statistical difference was found between CT and PCT concerning hearing function, tinnitus characteristics and tinnitus distress. There was also no statistically significant difference between PCT and NT with respect to COVID-19 symptoms and pharmacological COVID-19 treatment. Patients with CT reported worsening of their tinnitus after COVID-19. Conclusion: As with other viral infections, inner ear symptoms may be associated with COVID-19. In our sample patients with tinnitus onset before COVID-19 and those with tinnitus onset during or after COVID-19 did not differ significantly in their clinical characteristics and their hearing function, suggesting that tinnitus occurring in the context of a COVID-19 infection is not related to a unique pathophysiological mechanism. The comparison of COVID-19 patients, who developed tinnitus with those who did not develop tinnitus did not reveal any differences in COVID-19 symptoms or COVID-19 treatment. Thus, there was no hint, that a specific expression of COVID-19 is closely related to post COVID-19 tinnitus onset. Although some drugs used to treat tinnitus are known to damage the inner ear cells (especially hydroxychloroquine), we did not see any relationship between the intake of these drugs and tinnitus onset, eventually due to the short prescription time and low doses. Among those patients who had tinnitus before COVID-19 30,8% reported worsening after COVID-19. Overall, tinnitus emerging in the context of a COVID-19 infection seems not to differ from tinnitus unrelated to COVID-19. For further exploring the relationship of tinnitus and COVID-19, large population based studies are warranted

Labeling mesenchymal cells with DMSA-coated gold and iron oxide nanoparticles : assessment of biocompatibility and potential applications

Nanoparticles’ unique features have been highly explored in cellular therapies. However, nanoparticles can be cytotoxic. The cytotoxicity can be overcome by coating the nanoparticles with an appropriated surface modification. Nanoparticle coating influences biocompatibility between nanoparticles and cells and may affect some cell properties. Here, we evaluated the biocompatibility of gold and maghemite nanoparticles functionalized with 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), Au-DMSA and γ-Fe2O3-DMSA respectively, with human mesenchymal stem cells. Also, we tested these nanoparticles as tracers for mesenchymal stem cells in vivo tracking by computed tomography and as agents for mesenchymal stem cells magnetic targeting

Contribution of polymorphisms in genes associated with craniofacial development to the risk of nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate in the Brazilian population

Background and Objective: Nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P) is a complex disease associated with both genetic and environmental factors. One strategy for identifying of possible NSCL/P genetic causes is to evaluate polymorphic variants in genes involved in the craniofacial development. Design: We carried out a case-control analysis of 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 9 genes related to craniofacial development, including TBX1, PVRL1, MID1, RUNX2, TP63, TGFB3, MSX1, MYH9 and JAG2 , in 367 patients with NSCL/P and 413 unaffected controls from Brazil to determine their association with NSCL/P. Results: Four out of 13 polymorphisms (rs28649236 and rs4819522 of TBX1, rs7940667 of PVRL1 and rs1057744 of JAG2 ) were presented in our population. Comparisons of allele and genotype frequencies revealed that the G variant allele and the AG/GG genotypes of TBX1 rs28649236 occurred in a frequency significantly higher in controls than in the NSCL/P group (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.25-0.67; p=0.0002). The frequencies of rs4819522, rs7940667 and rs1057744 minor alleles and genotypes were similar between control and NSCL/P group, without significant differences. No significant associations among cleft types and polymorphisms were observed. Conclusion: The study suggests for the first time evidences to an association of the G allele of TBX1 rs28649236 polymorphism and NSCL/P