A Central Limit Theorem for intransitive dice

Intransive dice $D^{(1)}, \ldots, D^{(\ell)}$ are dice such that $D^{(1)}$ has advantage with respect to $D^{(2)}$, dice $D^{(2)}$ has advantage with respect to $D^{(3)}$ and so on, up to $D^{(\ell)}$, which has advantage over $D^{(1)}$. In this twofold work, we present: first, (deterministic) results on existence of general intransitive dice. Second and mainly, a central limit theorem for the vector of normalized victories of a die against the next one in the list when the faces of a die are i.i.d.\ random variables and all dice are independent, but different dice may have distinct distributions associated to, as well as they may have distinct number of faces. From this central limit theorem we derive a criteria to assure that the asymptotic probability of observing intransitive dice is null, which applies for many cases, including all continuous distributions and many discrete ones.Comment: 37 pages, 3 figure

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Ionic liquid-mediated recovery of carotenoids from the bactris gasipaes fruit waste and their application in food-packaging chitosan films

In this work, a process for the extraction and purification of carotenoids from the fruit Bactris gasipaes was developed. Ethanolic and aqueous solutions of ionic liquids (ILs) and surfactants were evaluated on the extraction of these pigments. Thus, we developed an optimized sustainable downstream process mediated by the best solvent with further isolation of the carotenoids and the recyclability of the IL used. The process was characterized not only in terms of efficiency but also regarding its environmental impact. The recyclability of the solvents as well as the high efficiency (maximum yield of extraction of carotenoids = 88.7 ± 0.9 μgcarotenoids·gdried biomass–1) and the low environmental impact of the integrated process developed in this work were demonstrated. In the end, in order to incorporate functional activity for an alternative food-packaging material, carotenoids were successfully applied on the preparation of chitosan-based films with excellent results regarding their mechanical parameters and antioxidant activity.publishe

Biodiversidade, população e economia: uma região de mata atlântica [Biodiversity, Population, and Economy: a region of atlantic forest]

Minas Gerais; Rio Doce; mata atlântica; atlantic forest; sustainable development; conservation; regional development; environment

Neutrophil apoptosis: a marker of disease severity in sepsis and sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Apoptosis of neutrophils (polymorphonuclear neutrophils [PMNs]) may limit inflammatory injury in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the relationship between the severity of sepsis and extent of PMN apoptosis and the effect of superimposed ARDS is unknown. The objective of this study was to correlate neutrophil apoptosis with the severity of sepsis and sepsis-induced ARDS. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted in intensive care units of three tertiary hospitals in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. Fifty-seven patients with sepsis (uncomplicated sepsis, septic shock, and sepsis-induced ARDS) and 64 controls were enrolled. Venous peripheral blood was collected from patients with sepsis within 24 hours of diagnosis. All surgical groups, including controls, had their blood drawn 24 hours after surgery. Control patients on mechanical ventilation had blood collected within 24 hours of initiation of mechanical ventilation. Healthy controls were blood donors. Neutrophils were isolated, and incubated ex vivo, and apoptosis was determined by light microscopy on cytospun preparations. The differences among groups were assessed by analysis of variance with Tukeys. RESULTS: In medical patients, the mean percentage of neutrophil apoptosis (± standard error of the mean [SEM]) was lower in sepsis-induced ARDS (28% ± 3.3%; n = 9) when compared with uncomplicated sepsis (57% ± 3.2%; n = 8; p < 0.001), mechanical ventilation without infection, sepsis, or ARDS (53% ± 3.0%; n = 11; p < 0.001) and healthy controls (69% ± 1.1%; n = 33; p < 0.001) but did not differ from septic shock (38% ± 3.7%; n = 12; p = 0.13). In surgical patients with sepsis, the percentage of neutrophil apoptosis was lower for all groups when compared with surgical controls (52% ± 3.6%; n = 11; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In medical patients with sepsis, neutrophil apoptosis is inversely proportional to the severity of sepsis and thus may be a marker of the severity of sepsis in this population

Vitamin D3 as adjuvant in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: modulation of genomic and biochemical instability

Erratum in - Corrigendum: Vitamin D3 as adjuvant in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: modulation of genomic and biochemical instability. Fagundes GE, Macan TP, Rohr P, Damiani AP, Da Rocha FR, Pereira M, Longaretti LM, Vilela TC, Ceretta LB, Mendes C, Silveira PCL, Teixeira JPF, de Andrade VM. Mutagenesis. 2019 May 29;34(2):215. doi: 10.1093/mutage/gez006.Type 2 diabetes mellitus has undergone a worldwide growth in incidence in the world and has now acquired epidemic status. There is a strong link between type 2 diabetes and vitamin D deficiency. Because vitamin D has beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of vitamin D3 supplementation on the modulation of glycaemic control and other metabolic effects, as well as modulation of genomic instability in patients with type 2 diabetes. We evaluated 75 patients with type 2 diabetes, registered in the Integrated Clinics of the University of Southern Santa Catarina. Participants received 4000 IU of vitamin D3 (25(OH)D) supplementation daily for 8 weeks. Blood samples were collected at the beginning and at the end of the supplementation, and 4 weeks after the end of supplementation. The glycidic and lipid profiles [total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides], oxidative stress, DNA damage and 25(OH)D levels were evaluated. Vitamin D3 supplementation for 8 weeks showed enough to significantly increase blood levels of 25(OH)D. A significant difference in lipid profile was observed only in non-HDL cholesterol. Significant changes were observed in glucose homeostasis (fasting glucose and serum insulin) and, in addition, a reduction in the parameters of oxidative stress and DNA damage. There was a significant reduction in the values of 25(OH)D 4 weeks after the end of the supplementation, but levels still remained above baseline. Use of vitamin D supplementation can be an ally in the health modulation of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitusThis work was supported by grants from Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (CNPq), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Estado de Santa Catarina (FAPESC) and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde/ Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Parkinsonian phenotype in Machado-Joseph disease (MJD/SCA3): a two-case report

Background: Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder of late onset, which is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of the ATXN3 gene. This disease presents clinical heterogeneity, which cannot be completely explained by the size of the repeat tract. MJD presents extrapyramidal motor signs, namely Parkinsonism, more frequently than the other subtypes of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias. Although Parkinsonism seems to segregate within MJD families, only a few MJD patients develop parkinsonian features and, therefore, the clinical and genetic aspects of these rare presentations remain poorly investigated. The main goal of this work was to describe two MJD patients displaying the parkinsonian triad (tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity), namely on what concerns genetic variation in Parkinson's disease (PD) associated loci (PARK2, LRRK2, PINK1, DJ-1, SNCA, MAPT, APOE, and mtDNA tRNAGln T4336C). Case presentation: Patient 1 is a 40 year-old female (onset at 30 years of age), initially with a pure parkinsonian phenotype (similar to the phenotype previously reported for her mother). Patient 2 is a 38 year-old male (onset at 33 years of age), presenting an ataxic phenotype with parkinsonian features (not seen either in other affected siblings or in his father). Both patients presented an expanded ATXN3 allele with 72 CAG repeats. No PD mutations were found in the analyzed loci. However, allelic variants previously associated with PD were observed in DJ-1 and APOE genes, for both patients. Conclusions: The present report adds clinical and genetic information on this particular and rare MJD presentation, and raises the hypothesis that DJ-1 and APOE polymorphisms may confer susceptibility to the parkinsonian phenotype in MJD

Difficulties in the revaccination program of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients

ABSTRACT Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients should be routinely revaccinated after transplantation. We evaluated the difficulties met in the revaccination program and how a prospective and tailored follow-up could help to overcome these obstacles. HSCT recipients (n=122) were prospectively followed up and categorized into Group 1 (n=72), recipients who had already started the revaccination program, and Group 2 (n=50), recipients starting their vaccines. Whenever a difficulty was reported, interventions and subsequent evaluations were performed. Reported problems were related to patient compliance, HSCT center and/or vaccination center. Problems related to patient compliance were less frequent than those related to HSCT center modifications of previous recommendations, or to errors made by the vaccination center. The main gap found was vaccination delays (81.9%). Advisory intervention was needed in 64% and 46% of Group 1 and Group 2, respectively (p=0.05), and was partially successful in around 70% of the cases. Total resolution was achieved in more than 35% in both groups. Improvements are needed in the Brazilian vaccination program for HSCT recipients to assure a complete and updated revaccination schedule. HSCT centers should assign nurses and transplant infectious disease specialist physicians to organize the revaccination schedule and to monitor the program development

Removal of metals and emergent contaminants from liquid digestates in constructed wetlands for agricultural reuse

Given the increasing pressure on water bodies, it is imperative to explore sustainable methodologies for wastewater treatment and reuse. The simultaneous presence of multiples contaminants in complex wastewater, such as the liquid effluents from biogas plants, can compromise biological treatment effectiveness for reclaiming water. Vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands were established as low-cost decentralized wastewater treatment technologies to treat the liquid fraction of digestate from municipal organic waste with metals, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes, to allow its reuse in irrigation. Twelve lab-scale planted constructed wetlands were assembled with gravel, light expanded clay aggregate and sand, testing four different treating conditions (liquid digestate spiked with oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine, or ofloxacin, at 100 μg/ L, or without dosing) during 3 months. Physicochemical parameters (pH, chemical oxygen demand (COD), nutrients, metals, and antibiotics), the microbial communities dynamics (through 16S high-throughput sequencing) and antibiotic resistance genes removal (qPCR) were monitored in influents and effluents. Systems removed 85.8%–96.9% of organic matter (as COD), over 98.1% of ammonium and phosphate ions, and 69.3%–99.4% of nitrate and nitrite ions, with no significant differences between the presence or absence of antibiotics. Removal of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cr exceeded 82% in all treatment cycles. The treatment also removed oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine and ofloxacin over 99%, and decreased intl1, tetA, tetW, sul1 and qnrS gene copies. Nonetheless, after 3 months of ofloxacin dosing, qnrS gene started being detected. Removal processes relied on high HRT (14 days) and various mechanisms including sorption, biodegradation, and precipitation. Microbial community diversity in liquid digestate changed significantly after treatment in constructed wetlands with a decrease in the initial Firmicutes dominance, but with no clear effect of antibiotics on the microbial community structure. Removals above 85% and 94% were observed for Streptococcus and Clostridium, respectively. Results suggest that vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands were a suitable technology for treating the liquid digestate to reuse it in irrigation agricultural systems, contributing to the circular bioeconomy concept. However, a more profound understanding of effective wastewater treatment strategies is needed to avoid antibiotic resistance genes dissemination