Chitosan/virgin coconut oil-based emulsions doped with photosensitive curcumin loaded capsules: a functional carrier to topical treatment

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in developing smart drug delivery systems based on natural resources combined with stimulus-sensitive elements. This trend aims to formulate innovative and sustainable delivery platforms tailored for topical applications. This work proposed the use of layer-by-layer (LbL) methodology to fabricate biocompatible photo-responsive multilayer systems. These systems are composed of a polyoxometalate inorganic salt (POM) ([NaP5W30O110]14â) and a natural origin polymer, chitosan (CHT). Curcumin (CUR), a natural bioactive compound, was incorporated to enhance the functionality of these systems during the formation of hollow capsules. The capsules produced, with sizes between 2â 5μm (SEM), were further dispersed into CHT/VCO (virgin coconut oil) emulsion solutions that were casted into molds and dried at 37 â ¦C for 48 h.The system presented a higher water uptake in PBS than in acidic conditions, still significantly lower than that earlier reported to other CHT/VCO-based systems. The drug release profile is not significantly influenced by the medium pH reaching a maximum of 37% ± 1% after 48 h. The antioxidant performance of the designed structures was further studied, suggesting a synergistic beneficial effect resulting from CUR, POM, and VCO individual bioactivities. The increased amount of those excipients released to the media over time promoted an increase in the antioxidant activity of the system, reaching a maximum of 38.1% ± 0.1% after 48 h. This work represents a promising step towards developing advanced, sustainable drug delivery systems for topical applications.The authors would like to thank the contributions to this research from the project “TERM RES Hub–Scientific Infrastructure for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine”, reference PINFRA/22190/2016 (Norte-01-0145-FEDER-022190), funded by the Portuguese National Science Foundation (FCT) in cooperation with the Northern Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), for providing relevant lab facilities, state-of-the art equipment and highly qualified human resources

Molecular identification of cultivable bacteria from infected root canals associated with acute apical abscess

The objective of this study was to investigate the bacterial composition present in root canals of teeth associated with acute apical abscess by molecular identification (16S rRNA) of cultivable bacteria. Two hundred and twenty strains isolated by culture from 20 root canals were subjected to DNA extraction and amplification of the 16S rRNA gene (PCR), followed by sequencing. The resulting nucleotide sequences were compared to the GenBank database from the National Center of Biotechnology Information through BLAST. Strains not identified by sequencing were submitted to clonal analysis. The association of microbiological findings with clinical features and the association between microbial species were also investigated. Fifty-nine different cultivable bacteria were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, belonging to 6 phyla, with an average number of 6 species per root canal. Molecular approaches allowed identification of 99% of isolates. The most frequently identified bacteria were Prevotella spp., Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus, Parvimonas micra, Dialister invisus, Filifactor alocis, and Peptostreptococcus stomatis. Positive association was found between Prevotella buccae and Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus and between Parvimonas micra and Prevotella nigrescens (both p<0.05). It was concluded that the microbiota of infected root canals associated with acute apical abscess is diverse and heterogeneous, composed mainly of anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, with the great majority belonging to the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes273318324CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP302575/2009; 308162/2014-5Sem informação2009/07760-5; 2011/09047-4O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a composição bacteriana de canais radiculares associados com abscesso apical agudo através de identificação molecular (16S rRNA) de bactérias cultiváveis. Duzentas e vinte cepas, de 20 casos, isoladas por cultura foram submetidas a extração de DNA e amplificação do gene 16S rRNA (PCR), seguido de sequenciamento. As sequências de nucleotídeos obtidas foram comparadas com o banco de dados (GenBank) do National Center of Biotechnology Information através do BLAST. Cepas não identificadas pelo sequenciamento foram submetidas à clonagem. Associação de achados microbiológicos e características clínicas e associação entre espécies bacterianas também foram investigadas. Cinquenta e nove bactérias cultiváveis diferentes foram identificadas pelo sequenciamento do gene 16S rRNA, pertencentes a 6 filos, numa média de 6 espécies por canal. Método molecular permitiu identificação de 99% das cepas isoladas. As bactérias mais frequentes foram Prevotella spp., Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus, Parvimonas micra, Dialister invisus, Filifactor alocis, Peptostreptococcus stomatis. Associação positiva foi encontrada entre Prevotella buccae e Pseudoramibacter alactolyticus, e entre Parvimonas micra e Prevotella nigrescens (p<0,05). Foi concluído que a microbiota de canais radiculares infectados associados com abscesso apical agudo é diversa e heterogênea, composta principalmente por anaeróbios Gram-negativos, pertencentes aos filos Firmicutes e Bacteroidete

Dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in [BMIM]PF 6 for electrochemical sensing of acetaminophen

The influence of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (fMWCNT) in the presence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM]PF6) in different ratios was investigated on the acetaminophen (ACOP) electrochemical determination. The electrochemical behavior of the ACOP exhibited a pair of well-defined redox peaks, suggesting that the reversibility of ACOP was significantly improved in comparison to irreversible oxidation peak on bare GCE. The redox process was controlled by adsorption, involves two electrons and the value of apparent rate constant (ks) was equal to 14.7 s-1 ± 3.6 s-1. The analytical curves were obtained for concentrations of ACOP ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 μmol L-1. The values of the detection limit were calculated from SWV and found to be 6.73 × 10-8 mol L-1. The proposed electrochemical sensor exhibited good stability and reproducibility and was applied for ACOP determination in tablets (Tylenol® and Tylenol®DC) with satisfactory results.The authors gratefully acknowledge funding provided by the following Brazilian agencies: CNPq-INCT (Proc. 573925/2008-9 and 573548/2008-0), CAPES/Funcap (2133/2012/Proc. 23038.007973/2012-90), CNPq-PVE (Proc. 400223/2014-7 and 303596/2014-7), PRONEX/FUNCAP (Proc. PR2-0101-00030.01.00/15) and CNPq (Proc. 302801/2014-6). R.N. Gomes thanks CAPES and C.P. Sousa thanks CAPES-PNPD for their grants. The authors also are grateful to the Central Analítica-UFC/CT-INFRA/MCTI-SISNANO/Pró-Equipamentos CAPES for technical support and Prof. Pierre Basílio Almeida Fechine and MsC. Davino Machado Andrade Neto for Zeta potential analysis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

(Bio)Sensing Strategies Based on Ionic Liquid-Functionalized Carbon Nanocomposites for Pharmaceuticals: Towards Greener Electrochemical Tools

The interaction of carbon-based nanomaterials and ionic liquids (ILs) has been thoroughly exploited for diverse electroanalytical solutions since the first report in 2003. This combination, either through covalent or non-covalent functionalization, takes advantage of the unique characteristics inherent to each material, resulting in synergistic effects that are conferred to the electrochemical (bio)sensing system. From one side, carbon nanomaterials offer miniaturization capacity with enhanced electron transfer rates at a reduced cost, whereas from the other side, ILs contribute as ecological dispersing media for the nanostructures, improving conductivity and biocompatibility. The present review focuses on the use of this interesting type of nanocomposites for the development of (bio)sensors specifically for pharmaceutical detection, with emphasis on the analytical (bio)sensing features. The literature search displayed the conjugation of more than 20 different ILs and several carbon nanomaterials (MWCNT, SWCNT, graphene, carbon nanofibers, fullerene, and carbon quantum dots, among others) that were applied for a large set (about 60) of pharmaceutical compounds. This great variability causes a straightforward comparison between sensors to be a challenging task. Undoubtedly, electrochemical sensors based on the conjugation of carbon nanomaterials with ILs can potentially be established as sustainable analytical tools and viable alternatives to more traditional methods, especially concerning in situ environmental analysisThis work was financed by FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020—Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), and by Portuguese funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029547—PTDC/ASP-PES/29547/2017. This work received support by UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/ 2020 and LA/P/0008/2020 by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds. T.M.B.F. Oliveira thanks the Brazilian agencies CNPq (Proc. 420261/2018-4 and 308108/2020-5) and FUNCAP (Proc. BP4-0172-00111.01.00/20) for their financial support, and he is grateful to UFCA and CAPES (Finance code 001) for supporting his investigations. F.W.P. Ribeiro thanks all support provided by the UFCA’s Pro-Rectory of Research and Innovation and the funding provided by FUNCAP-BPI (Proc. BP4-0172-00150.01.00/20) and CNPq (Proc. 406135/2018-5). P. de Lima-Neto thanks the financial support received from CNPq projects 408626/2018-6 and 304152/2018-8 and FUNCAP project FCT-00141-00011.01.00/18. A. N. Correia thanks the financial support received from CNPq projects: 305136/2018-6 and 405596/2018-9info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A psicologia como neurociência cognitiva : implicações para a compreensão dos processos básicos e suas aplicações

O presente artigo procura ilustrar o modo como os desenvolvimentos das neurociências cognitivas poderão ajudar a compreender alguns dos processos psicológicos básicos e, simultaneamente, ser traduzidos para importantes domínios da psicologia aplicada, particularmente no domínio clínico. Exemplificaremos a partir de algumas linhas de investigação programática em curso nas diferentes subsecções do Laboratório de Neuropsicofisiologia da Escola de Psicologia da Universidade do Minho. As potencialidades metodológicas proporcionadas pela neurofisiologia, neuroimagiologia, neuromodelação, psicofisiologia, neurobioquímica e neurogenética serão exemplificadas nas suas aplicações à linguagem (e suas implicações para a compreensão da esquizofrenia), funcionamento sócio-cognitivo (e implicações para a compreensão das perturbações do neurodesenvolvimento), funcionamento executivo (com implicações para a compreensão das perturbações do espectro obsessivo), empatia (e implicações para a compreensão da psicoterapia), mecanismos de stress (com implicações para a compreensão das perturbações de ansiedade), e, finalmente, comportamento animal (com implicações para o conhecimento dos sistemas sensoriais e perceptuais).(undefined

Structural and Luminescence Properties of Silica-Based Hybrids Containing New Silylated-Diketonato Europium(III) Complex

A new betadiketonate ligand displaying a trimethoxysilyl group as grafting function and a diketone moiety as complexing site (TTA-Si = 4,4,4-trifluoro-2-(3-trimethoxysilyl)propyl)-1-3-butanedione (C4H3S)COCH[(CH2)3Si(OCH3)3]COCF3) and its highly luminescent europium(III) complex [Eu(TTA-Si)3] have been synthesized and fully characterized. Luminescent silica-based hybrids have been prepared as well with this new complex grafted on the surface of dense silica nanoparticles (28 (+/-3 nm) or on mesoporous silica particles. The covalent bonding of Eu(TTA-Si)3 inside the core of uniform silica nanoparticles (40 (+/- 5 nm) was also achieved. Luminescence properties are discussed in relation to the europium chemical environment involved in each of the three hybrids. The general methodology proposed allowed high grafting ratios and overcame chelate release and tendency to agglomeration, and it could be applied to any silica matrix (in the core or at the surface, nanosized or not, dense or mesoporous) and therefore numerous applications such as luminescent markers and luminophors could be foreseen

Assessment of Physical-Chemical Characteristics of Water and Sediments from a Brazilian Tropical Estuary: Status and Environmental Implications

The environmental quality of the Jacuípe River's estuary (very important in northeastern Brazil) was assessed during 2007 and 2008. In water, concentrations (mg L−1) of NO2− (<0.004 to 0.016), NO3− (0.01 to 0.33), soluble PO43− (<0.02 to 0.22), dissolved oxygen (3.9 to 9.6), total contents (mg L−1) of Cd (<0.001), Cu (<0.01), Pb (<0.01), and Zn (<0.1), pH (5.60 to 8.00), and electrical conductivity (0.12 to 48.60 mS cm−1) agreed with environmental standards. In sediments, clay and total organic matter (%, m/m) varied, respectively, from 8.8 to 12.0 and from 1.1 to 8.8, while infrared, thermogravimetric profile, electronic micrograph, as well as X-Ray analyses showed desirable adsorptive characteristics. However, maximum exchangeable levels (mg kg−1) of Cd (1.3), Cu (44.6), Pb (35.7), and Zn (43.7) and their respective maximum pseudototal concentrations (mg kg−1): 19.4, 95.1, 68.2, and 30.3 were below the recommended limits. In this sense, it was possible to demonstrate good environmental preservation even with the growing number of industries and touristic activities in the evaluated estuarine area

ACE2-angiotensin-(1-7)-Mas axis in renal ischaemia/reperfusion injury in rats

AngII (angiotensin II), ACE (angiotensin I-converting enzyme) and the AT(1) receptor (AngII type I receptor) are associated with the inflammatory process and microvascular dysfunction of AKI (acute kidney injury) induced by renal I/R (ischaemia/reperfusion). However, Ang-(1-7) [angiotensin-(1-7)], ACE2 (angiotensin I-converting enzyme 2) and the Mas receptor also play a role in renal disease models. Therefore, in the present study, we have examined the renal profile of Ang-(1-7), ACE2 and the Mas receptor in renal I/R and compared them with that of AngII, ACE and the AT(1) receptor. Male Wistar rats were submitted to left nephrectomy and ischaemia (45 min) followed by reperfusion (2 or 4 h) in the right kidney. At 4 h of reperfusion, renal AngII was increased (P < 0.01) and renal Ang-(1-7) was decreased substantially (P < 0.05), although plasma levels of both angiotensins were unchanged. in addition, renal I/R decreased the renal mRNA expression of renin (P < 0.05), AT(1) receptors (P < 0.001) and ACE2 (P < 0.05). At 2 and 4 h of reperfusion, renal ACE activity was reduced (P < 0.05). On the other hand, renal expression of the Mas receptor was greatly increased at 4 h of reperfusion (P < 0.01), which was confirmed by immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis. in conclusion, increased renal expression of the Mas receptor associated with changes in the RAS (renin-angiotensin-system)-related peptidases support an important role for the ACE2 Ang-(1-7) Mas axis in AKI.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)Univ Fed Minas Gerais, Inst Biol Sci, Dept Physiol & Biophys, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Pathol, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Microbiol, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Clin Pathol Unit COLTEC, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Biochem, Inst Biol Sci, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Pediat, Fac Med, BR-31270901 Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Biophys, BR-04044020 São Paulo, SP, BrazilCAPES: PRDEX2009CNPq: 8701480/1997-4FAPEMIG: CBS 2044/96Web of Scienc

The potential therapeutic use of cord blood in autologous transplants or in special patients: a review and update

Umbilical Cord Blood is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells widely used as a substitute of bone marrow (BM) in transplants. Cells from umbilical cord blood present advantages over BM cells, mainly as they are younger and a have higher proliferative rate. Besides hematopoietic stem cells, umbilical cord blood contains endothelial and mesenchymal progenitor cells, suggesting their possible application in cell therapy protocols for different tissues. In this paper, we discuss the importance of autologous umbilical cord blood storage and the research on stem cell transplantation for degenerative diseases.O sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário (SCUP) é uma rica fonte de células-tronco (CT) hematopoéticas e é amplamente utilizado como substituto da medula óssea em casos de transplante. As células do SCUP possuem vantagens sobre as células da medula óssea (MO), principalmente por serem mais jovens e apresentarem maior taxa proliferativa. Além dos progenitores hematopoéticos, o sangue de cordão umbilical contém progenitores endoteliais e mesenquimais, sugerindo sua possível aplicação nos novos protocolos de terapia celular para diferentes tecidos. Na presente revisão, discutimos a importância do armazenamento do sangue de cordão umbilical autólogo e as pesquisas desenvolvidas para a sua aplicação em doenças degenerativas.Cryopraxis Criobiologia LtdaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM)Instituto de Traumato-ortopediaSanta Casa de São PauloHospital Samaritano de São PauloUFRJ HUCFFHospital Central do ExércitoUFRJ IPPMGUFRJCollege of Medicine Department of Neurosurgery Center of Excellence for Aging & Brain RepairUNIFESP, EPMSciEL