Supramolecular hydrogel based on a sodium deep eutectic solvent

A supramolecular hydrogel based on a metal-containing deep eutectic solvent (DES) is presented here for the first time. The phase diagram of the DES-based hydrogel was drawn and its rheological properties were determined

Exercícios resistidos e uso de decanoato de nandrolona e a alteração do epidídimo de ratos adultos e idosos / Resistence training and the use of nandrolone decanoate change epididymis in adult and aged rats

Introdução: O sistema genital masculino é alvo de estudos por ser sensível a mudanças na concentração de androgênios, e esses são alterados em algumas situações como: exercício, uso de anabolizantes (EAAs) e o envelhecimento. Um dos órgãos androgênio-dependentes é o epidídimo. Objetivo: Verificar se o tratamento com EAAs associado ou não a exercício físico, em ratos Sprague-Dawley altera a morfologia e morfometria do Epidídimo em ratos adultos e seus efeitos crônicos em idosos. Métodos: Foram analisados epidídimos de 56 ratos Sprague-Dawley, virgens, com 13 semanas de vida ao início do experimento, separados em oito grupos com sete animais cada: GC - adultos e sedentários; GCi - idosos e sedentários; GN - adultos, sedentários, tratados com EAA; GNi - idosos, sedentários, tratados com EAA; GE - adultos tratados com exercício; GEi - idosostratados com exercício; GNE - adultos, exercício e tratamento com EAA; GNEi - idosos, exercício e tratamento com EAA. Os animais adultos foram eutanasiados com 150 dias, os idosos, 330 dias. O treinamento realizado foi através de saltos na água, com sobrecarga. A administração de EAAs ocorreu pela aplicação intramuscular de Decanoato de Nandrolona (10 mg/kg/semana). Amostras epididimárias passaram pela rotina histológica de hematoxilina e eosina para análise morfológica e morfométrica. Resultados: O GE apresentou diâmetro de ducto menor quando comparados ao controle, já o GN e GNE, tiveram diâmetro de ducto e a altura epitelial aumentados comparando-os com o controle, sendo estas alterações principalmente nos segmentos mais iniciais do epidídimo. Já os grupos idosos tenderam a retornar a normalidade, a não ser na cauda, do GNEi. Também foram encontrados indícios inflamatórios no tecido dos grupos experimentais (GN, GE, GNE e GCi) e ainda, debris de células da linhagem germinativa no interior do lúmen de GN e GNEi. Conclusão: Tanto o tratamento na fase adulta com exercício, quanto à utilização de EAAs altera parâmetros morfométricos e morfológicos do epidídimo, e  seu efeito crônico pode ser diminuído com a idade

Análise de provas de seleção para ingresso em cursos da UFRJ quanto ao uso da abordagem CTS

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Synthesis and Antiplasmodial Activity of Betulinic Acid and Ursolic Acid Analogues

More than 40% of the World population is at risk of contracting malaria, which affects primarily poor populations in tropical and subtropical areas. Antimalarial pharmacotherapy has utilised plant-derived products such as quinine and artemisinin as well as their derivatives. However, worldwide use of these antimalarials has caused the spread of resistant parasites, resulting in increased malaria morbidity and mortality. Considering that the literature has demonstrated the antimalarial potential of triterpenes, specially betulinic acid (1) and ursolic acid (2), this study investigated the antimalarial activity against P. falciparum chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain of some new derivatives of 1 and 2 with modifications at C-3 and C-28. The antiplasmodial study employed flow cytometry and spectrofluorimetric analyses using YOYO-1, dihydroethidium and Fluo4/AM for staining. Among the six analogues obtained, compounds 1c and 2c showed excellent activity (IC50 = 220 and 175 nM, respectively) while 1a and b demonstrated good activity ( IC50 = 4 and 5 mu M, respectively). After cytotoxicity evaluation against HEK293T cells, 1a was not toxic, while 1c and 2c showed IC50 of 4 mu M and a selectivity index (SI) value of 18 and 23, respectively. Moreover, compound 2c, which presents the best antiplasmodial activity, is involved in the calcium-regulated pathway(s).Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia para Inovacao Farmaceutica (INCTif, Brazil)Instituto Nacional de Ciencia e Tecnologia para Inovacao Farmaceutica (INCT-if, Brazil)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq), BrazilConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq-Brazil)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), BrazilCoordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES-Brazil)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP), BrazilFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP, Brazil)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS, Brazil)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS, Brazil)FAPESPFAPES

Ten simple rules for making training materials FAIR

Author summary: Everything we do today is becoming more and more reliant on the use of computers. The field of biology is no exception; but most biologists receive little or no formal preparation for the increasingly computational aspects of their discipline. In consequence, informal training courses are often needed to plug the gaps; and the demand for such training is growing worldwide. To meet this demand, some training programs are being expanded, and new ones are being developed. Key to both scenarios is the creation of new course materials. Rather than starting from scratch, however, it’s sometimes possible to repurpose materials that already exist. Yet finding suitable materials online can be difficult: They’re often widely scattered across the internet or hidden in their home institutions, with no systematic way to find them. This is a common problem for all digital objects. The scientific community has attempted to address this issue by developing a set of rules (which have been called the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable [FAIR] principles) to make such objects more findable and reusable. Here, we show how to apply these rules to help make training materials easier to find, (re)use, and adapt, for the benefit of all

Impact of repeated four-monthly anthelmintic treatment on Plasmodium infection in preschool children: a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Helminth infections can alter susceptibility to malaria. Studies need to determine whether or not deworming programs can impact on <it>Plasmodium </it>infections in preschool children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial was conducted to investigate the impact of anthelmintic treatment on <it>Plasmodium </it>infection in children aged 12-59 months. Children were randomly assigned to receive either albendazole or placebo every four months for 12 months with a follow-up at 14 months.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>320 children (out of 1228, 26.1%) complied with all the follow-up assessments. <it>Plasmodium </it>prevalence and mean <it>Plasmodium </it>parasite density was significantly higher in the treatment group (44.9% and 2319 ± SE 511) compared to the placebo group (33.3% and 1471 ± 341) at baseline. The odds of having <it>Plasmodium </it>infection increased over time for children in both the placebo and treatment groups, however this increase was significantly slower for children in the treatment group (P = 0.002). By month 14, mean <it>Plasmodium </it>density had increased by 156% in the placebo group and 98% in the treatment group but the rate of change in <it>Plasmodium </it>density was not significantly different between the groups. The change from baseline in haemoglobin had a steeper increase among children in the treatment group when compared to the placebo group but this was not statistically significant.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Repeated four-monthly anthelminthic treatments for 14 months resulted in a significantly lower increase in the prevalence of <it>Plasmodium </it>infection in preschool children which coincided with a reduction in both the prevalence and intensity of <it>A. lumbricoides </it>infections.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials ISRCTN44215995</p

Genotype and phenotype landscape of MEN2 in 554 medullary thyroid cancer patients: the BrasMEN study

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) is an autosomal dominant genetic disease caused by RET gene germline mutations that is characterized by medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) associated with other endocrine tumors. Several reports have demonstrated that the RET mutation profile may vary according to the geographical area. In this study, we collected clinical and molecular data from 554 patients with surgically confirmed MTC from 176 families with MEN2 in 18 different Brazili an centers to compare the type and prevalence of RET mutations with those from other countries. The most frequent mutations, classified by the number of families affected, occur in codon 634, exon 11 (76 families), followed by codon 918, exon 16 (34 families: 26 with M918T and 8 with M918V) and codon 804, exon 14 (22 families: 15 with V804M and 7 with V804L). When compared with other major published series from Europe, there are several similarities and some differences. While the mutations in codons C618, C620, C630, E768 and S891 present a similar prevalence, some mutations have a lower prevalence in Brazil, and others are found mainly in Brazil (G533C and M918V). These results reflect the singular proportion of European, Amerindian and African ancestries in the Brazilian mosaic genome83289298CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESPFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL - FAPERGSSem informaçãoSem informação2006/60402-1; 2010/51547-1; 2013/01476-9; 2014/06570-6; 2009/50575-4; 2010/51546-5; 2012/21942-116/2551-0000482-

Characterization of Dengue Virus Type 2: New Insights on the 2010 Brazilian Epidemic

Dengue viruses (DENV) serotypes 1, 2, and 3 have been causing yearly outbreaks in Brazil. In this study, we report the re-introduction of DENV2 in the coast of São Paulo State. Partial envelope viral genes were sequenced from eighteen patients with dengue fever during the 2010 epidemic. Phylogenetic analysis showed this strain belongs to the American/Asian genotype and was closely related to the virus that circulated in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and 2008. The phylogeny also showed no clustering by clinical presentation, suggesting that the disease severity could not be explained by distinct variants or genotypes. The time of the most recent common ancestor of American/Asian genotype and the São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (SP/RJ) monophyletic cluster was estimated to be around 40 and 10 years, respectively. Since this virus was first identified in Brazil in 2007, we suggest that it was already circulating in the country before causing the first documented outbreak. This is the first description of the 2010 outbreak in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and should contribute to efforts to control and monitor the spread of DENVs in endemic areas