Ripening of household slow sand filter by adding fish food

Vulnerable communities can improve their quality of life using point-of-use water treatment technologies. Among these technologies, household slow sand filters (HSSF), which are filters adapted to domestic operations, stand out as one of the most effective and sustainable alternatives. However, some technical issues are not fully understood, such as the ripening process, which may take a long time to take place. In this context, this research evaluated the performance of a HSSF, in real scale and operated in continuous flow when a source of nutrients (fish food) was added to influent water, as a potential ripening agent. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters were evaluated to estimate the filter efficiency. According to the results, the HSSF reached a partial ripeness level in a short time with target parameter reduction in filtered water. Nevertheless, the instability observed in the filtered water quality reveals the significant health risks associated with human consumption when the HSSF is not yet ripened

Frequência de infecção por Tritrichomonas foetus (RIEDMULLER, 1928) em bovinos leiteiros do município de Sanharó - PE

A tricomonose bovina é uma enfermidade sexualmente transmissível e infecciosa causada pelo protozoário Tritrichomonas foetus RIEDMULLER, 1928), caracterizada por alterações reprodutivas nas fêmeas tais como: incidência de abortamentos, baixos índices de fertilidade, aumento nos intervalos entre partos. Os machos são assintomáticos podendo atuar como fonte de infecção durante toda vida reprodutiva. Objetivou-se neste trabalho determinar a freqüência da tricomonose bovina em bovinos leiteiros do município de Sanharó - PE. Foram utilizados 150 vacas e sete touros, mestiços zebu-holandês, com três repetições de coleta  para cada macho. Aos materiais coletados de machos e fêmeas, lavado prepucial e muco cérvico-vaginal, respectivamente, foram  adicionados meios de transporte e cultivo de T. foetus, o Lactopep e o Caldo Trichomonas. Passado o período de mínimo de 48 horas após a coleta, este material foi submetido à centrifugação, preparando-se, em seguida, as lâminas, as quais foram examinadas com auxílio de microscópio óptico em objetiva de 10X, 40X e 100X. O critério para a consideração da positividade foi a presença de pelo menos um protozoário na amostra examinada. O parasito não foi observado em nenhuma das 150 amostras coletadas das fêmeas, bem como nas 21 coletadas dos machos, indicando negatividade para T. foetus no rebanho estudado

Human SOD2 Modification by Dopamine Quinones Affects Enzymatic Activity by Promoting Its Aggregation: Possible Implications for Parkinson’s Disease

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are considered central in dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Oxidative stress occurs when the endogenous antioxidant systems are overcome by the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). A plausible source of oxidative stress, which could account for the selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, is the redox chemistry of dopamine (DA) and leads to the formation of ROS and reactive dopamine-quinones (DAQs). Superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) is a mitochondrial enzyme that converts superoxide radicals to molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, providing a first line of defense against ROS. We investigated the possible interplay between DA and SOD2 in the pathogenesis of PD using enzymatic essays, site-specific mutagenesis, and optical and high-field-cw-EPR spectroscopies. Using radioactive DA, we demonstrated that SOD2 is a target of DAQs. Exposure to micromolar DAQ concentrations induces a loss of up to 50% of SOD2 enzymatic activity in a dose-dependent manner, which is correlated to the concomitant formation of protein aggregates, while the coordination geometry of the active site appears unaffected by DAQ modifications. Our findings support a model in which DAQ-mediated SOD2 inactivation increases mitochondrial ROS production, suggesting a link between oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction

Blood pressure reduction and clinical outcomes with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers: protocol for a systematic review and meta-regression analysis

Background Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) efficaciously reduce systolic blood pressure (BP), a well-established risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI). Both inhibit the renin-angiotensin system, albeit through different mechanisms, and produce similar reductions in BP. However, in parallel meta-analyses of ACEi and ARB trials, ACEis reduce risk of MI whereas ARBs do not—a phenomenon described as the ‘ARB-MI paradox’. In addition, ACEis reduce all-cause mortality, whereas ARBs do not, which appears to be independent of BP lowering. The divergent cardiovascular effects of ACE inhibitors and ARBs, despite similar BP reductions, are counter-intuitive. This systematic review aims to ascertain the extent to which clinical outcomes in randomised trials of ACEi and ARBs are attributable to reductions in systolic BP. Methods A comprehensive search of bibliographic databases will be performed to identify all randomised studies of agents of the ACEi and ARB class. Placebo and active comparator-controlled studies that report clinical outcomes, with greater than 500 person-years of follow-up in each study arm, will be included. Two independent reviewers will screen study records against a priori-defined eligibility criteria and perform data extraction. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool will be applied to all included studies. Studies retracted subsequent to initial publication will be excluded. Primary outcomes of interest include MI and all-cause mortality; secondary outcomes include stroke, heart failure, revascularisation and cardiovascular mortality. Meta-regression will be performed, evaluating the relationship between attained reduction in systolic BP and relative risk of each outcome, stratified by drug class. Where a BP-dependent effect exists (two-tailed p value < 0.05), relative risks, standardised per 10 mmHg difference in BP, will be reported for each study outcome. Publication bias will be examined using Funnel plots, and calculation of Egger’s statistic. Discussion This systematic review will provide a detailed synthesis of evidence regarding the relationship between BP reduction and clinical outcomes with ACEi and ARBs. Greater understanding of the dependency of the effect of each class on BP reduction will advance insight into the nature of the ARB-MI paradox and guide the future usage of these agents. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD4201707298

Promoter Methylation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines Is Significantly Different than Methylation in Primary Tumors and Xenografts

Studies designed to identify novel methylation events related to cancer often employ cancer cell lines in the discovery phase of the experiments and have a relatively low rate of discovery of cancer-related methylation events. An alternative algorithm for discovery of novel methylation in cancer uses primary tumor-derived xenografts instead of cell lines as the primary source of nucleic acid for evaluation. We evaluated DNA extracted from primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), xenografts grown from these primary tumors in nude mice, HNSCC-derived cell lines, normal oral mucosal samples, and minimally transformed oral keratinocyte-derived cell lines using Illumina Infinum Humanmethylation 27 genome-wide methylation microarrays. We found >2,200 statistically significant methylation differences between cancer cell lines and primary tumors and when comparing normal oral mucosa to keratinocyte cell lines. We found no statistically significant promoter methylation differences between primary tumor xenografts and primary tumors. This study demonstrates that tumor-derived xenografts are highly accurate representations of promoter methylation in primary tumors and that cancer derived cell lines have significant drawbacks for discovery of promoter methylation alterations in primary tumors. These findings also support use of primary tumor xenografts for the study of methylation in cancer, drug discovery, and the development of personalized cancer treatments

The impact of muscle relaxation techniques on the quality of life of cancer patients, as measured by the FACT-G questionnaire

Introduction Patients with cancer frequently suffer from emotional distress, characterized by psychological symptoms such as anxiety or depression. The presence of psychological symptoms combined with the complex nature of oncology processes can negatively impact patients' quality of life. We aimed to determine the impact of a relaxation protocol on improving quality of life in a sample of oncological patients treated in the Spanish National Public Health System. Materials and methods We conducted a multicenter interventional study without a control group. In total, 272 patients with different oncologic pathologies and showing symptoms of anxiety were recruited from 10 Spanish public hospitals. The intervention comprised abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation training, according to Bernstein and Borkovec. This was followed by weekly telephone calls to each patient over a 1-month period. We collected sociodemographic variables related to the disease process, including information about mental health and the intervention. Patients' quality of life was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaire. Bivariate and univariate analyses were performed, along with an analysis of multiple correspondences to identify subgroups of patients with similar variations on the FACT-G. Results Patients showed statistically significant improvements on the FACT-G overall score (W = 16806; p<0.001), with an initial mean score of 55.33±10.42 and a final mean score of 64.49±7.70. We also found significant improvements for all subscales: emotional wellbeing (W = 13118; p<0.001), functional wellbeing (W = 16155.5; p<0.001), physical wellbeing (W = 8885.5; p<0.001), and social and family context (W = ?1840; p = 0.037). Conclusions Patients with cancer who learned and practiced abbreviated progressive muscle relaxation experienced improvement in their perceived quality of life as measured by the FACT-G. Our findings support a previous assumption that complementary techniques (including relaxation techniques) are effective in improving the quality of life of patients with cancer

Phase II multicentre study of docetaxel plus cisplatin in patients with advanced urothelial cancer

A multicentre phase II trial was undertaken to evaluate the activity and toxicity of docetaxel plus cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in patients with urothelial cancer. Thirty-eight patients with locally advanced or metastatic transitional-cell carcinoma of the bladder, renal pelvis or ureter received the combination of docetaxel 75 mg m−2 and cisplatin 75 mg m−2 on day 1 and repeated every 21 days, to a maximum of six cycles. The median delivered dose-intensity was 98% (range 79–102%) of the planned dose for both drugs. There were seven complete responses and 15 partial responses, for and overall response rate of 58% (95% CI, 41–74%). Responses were even seen in three patients with hepatic metastases. The median time to progression was 6.9 months, and the median overall survival was 10.4 months. Two patients who achieved CR status remain free of disease at 4 and 3 years respectively. Grade 3–4 granulocytopenia occurred in 27 patients, resulting in five episodes of febrile neutropenia. There was one toxic death in a patient with grade 4 granulocytopenia who developed acute abdomen. Grade 3–4 thrombocytopenia was rare (one patient). Other grade 3–4 toxicities observed were anaemia (three patients), vomiting (five patients), diarrhoea (four patients), peripheral neuropathy (two patients) and non-neutropenic infections (seven patients). Docetaxel plus cisplatin is an effective and well-tolerated regimen for the treatment of advanced urothelial cancer, and warrants further investigation