Use of pectin in the storage of mangaba fruits (Hancorniaspeciosa Gomes) associated with refrigeration

The objective of this study was to evaluate the storage potential of mangaba fruits coated with pectin biofilm stored in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (22 ± 1°C) under modified atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the physical and chemical changes, vitamin C content, soluble solid, titratable acidity and turgor pressure, and colour and physical structure of the fruits during storage. The physico-chemical and colour analyses of the fruit were done with four treatment groups: control and pectin solutions of 4, 6 and 8% (w / v) at three day intervals for two weeks. The pectin solution and BOD were effective for the conservation of soluble solids of mangaba. However, the levels of acidity, vitamin C and turgor pressure showed that the fruits got ripe during the study and were kept until the sixth day of the test compared to control fruits. The best results were determined for the mangaba coated with 6 to 8% pectin.Key words: Conservation, film solution, post-harvest, firmness

Perfil clínico e epidemiológico dos pacientes que realizaram cirurgia cardíaca no hospital sul fluminense – HUSF

A cirurgia cardíaca é um procedimento complexo que exige o conhecimento do perfil clínico e fatores de risco dos pacientes para o desenvolvimento de medidas que diminuam a mortalidade. Foram incluídos 82 prontuários médicos do período de janeiro a dezembro de 2015. A cirurgia mais prevalente foi a de Revascularização do miocárdio - RM (80,48%), seguida de trocas valvares (13,41%), RM associada a troca valvar (3,65%) e correção de comunicação interatrial (2,43%). O gênero masculino foi predominante (75,60%) e a média de idade foi 62,02. Como antecedentes clínicos foi observado que os mais prevalentes foram Hipertensão arterial (93,90%), Diabetes Mellitus (41,46%), dislipidemia (30,48%) e tabagismo (23,17%), outro dado observado foi que 23,17% dos pacientes tiveram IAM nos últimos 90 dias antes da cirurgia. Quanto a procedência o Hospital Universitário Sul Fluminense - HUSF recebeu pacientes de 22 municípios, sendo uma frequência maior do Rio de Janeiro (12,19%), Engenheiro Paulo de Frontim (9,75%) e Paraíba do Sul (9,75%). Os dias de internação hospitalar em média foram de 14,3. Sendo que os pacientes aguardaram em média 5 dias da internação até o procedimento cirúrgico, permaneceram na UTI no pós-operatório em média de 5,9 dias, e em média 3,3 dias na enfermaria após a alta da UTI, totalizando em média 9,3 dias de internação entre a cirurgia e a alta hospitalar, 10 pacientes (12,19%) evoluíram a óbito no pós operatório. Conhecendo o perfil dos pacientes desse hospital permitira ao médico prevenção e auxilio nas decisões, facilitando a alocação de recursos

Anti-inflammatory activity of Blutaparon portulacoides ethanolic extract against the inflammatory reaction induced by Bothrops jararacussu venom and isolated myotoxins BthTX-I and II

This article reports the anti-inflammatory effect of Blutaparon portulacoides (B. portulacoides), specifically the ethanolic extract of its aerial parts, on the edema formation and leukocyte influx caused by Bothrops jararacussu (B. jararacussu) snake venom and Bothropstoxin-I and II (BthTX-I and II) isolated from this venom as an alternative treatment for Bothrops snakebites. The anti-inflammatory effect of B. portulacoides ethanolic extract was compared with an animal group pretreated with dexamethasone. B. portulacoides ethanolic extract significantly inhibited paw edema induced by B. jararacussu venom and by BthTX-I and II. Also, results demonstrated that the extract caused a reduction of the leukocyte influx induced by BthTX-I. However, the extract was not capable of inhibiting the leukocyte influx induced by the venom and by BthTX-II. In conclusion, these results suggest that the ethanolic extract of this plant possess components able to inhibit or inactivate toxins present in B. jararacussu venom, including its myotoxins, responsible for the edema formation. However, the leukocyte migration caused by the venom and BthTX-II was not inhibited by the plant, probably due to the different mechanisms involved in the edema formation and leukocyte influx. This is the first report of B. portulacoides extract as anti-inflammatory against snake venoms and isolated toxins

Low-level laser therapy decreases local effects induced by myotoxins isolated from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom

The prominent myotoxic effects induced by Bothrops jararacussu crude venom are due, in part, to its polycationic myotoxins, BthTX-I and BthTX-II. Both myotoxins have a phospholipase A2 structure: BthTX-II is an active enzyme Asp-49 PLA2, while BthTX-I is a Lys-49 PLA2 devoid of enzymatic activity. In this study, the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT), 685 nm laser at a dose of 4.2 J/cm2 on edema formation, leukocyte influx and myonecrosis caused by BthTX-I and BthTX-II, isolated from Bothrops jararacussu snake venom, was analyzed. BthTX-I and BthTX-II caused a significant edema formation, a prominent leukocyte infiltrate composed predominantly by neutrophils and myonecrosis in envenomed gastrocnemius muscle. LLLT significantly reduced the edema formation, neutrophil accumulation and myonecrosis induced by both myotoxins 24 hours after the injection. LLLT reduced the myonecrosis caused by BthTX-I and BthTX-II, respectively, by 60 and 43%; the edema formation, by 41 and 60.7%; and the leukocyte influx, by 57.5 and 51.6%. In conclusion, LLLT significantly reduced the effect of these snake toxins on the inflammatory response and myonecrosis. These results suggest that LLLT should be considered a potential therapeutic approach for treatment of local effects of Bothrops species venom.Fundação Vale Paraibana de Ensin

Correlation between nucleotide composition and folding energy of coding sequences with special attention to wobble bases

Background: The secondary structure and complexity of mRNA influences its accessibility to regulatory molecules (proteins, micro-RNAs), its stability and its level of expression. The mobile elements of the RNA sequence, the wobble bases, are expected to regulate the formation of structures encompassing coding sequences. Results: The sequence/folding energy (FE) relationship was studied by statistical, bioinformatic methods in 90 CDS containing 26,370 codons. I found that the FE (dG) associated with coding sequences is significant and negative (407 kcal/1000 bases, mean +/- S.E.M.) indicating that these sequences are able to form structures. However, the FE has only a small free component, less than 10% of the total. The contribution of the 1st and 3rd codon bases to the FE is larger than the contribution of the 2nd (central) bases. It is possible to achieve a ~ 4-fold change in FE by altering the wobble bases in synonymous codons. The sequence/FE relationship can be described with a simple algorithm, and the total FE can be predicted solely from the sequence composition of the nucleic acid. The contributions of different synonymous codons to the FE are additive and one codon cannot replace another. The accumulated contributions of synonymous codons of an amino acid to the total folding energy of an mRNA is strongly correlated to the relative amount of that amino acid in the translated protein. Conclusion: Synonymous codons are not interchangable with regard to their role in determining the mRNA FE and the relative amounts of amino acids in the translated protein, even if they are indistinguishable in respect of amino acid coding.Comment: 14 pages including 6 figures and 1 tabl

The Debrisoft ® monofilament debridement pad for use in acute or chronic wounds: A NICE medical technology guidance

As part of its Medical Technology Evaluation Programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) invited a manufacturer to provide clinical and economic evidence for the evaluation of the Debrisoft ® monofilament debridement pad for use in acute or chronic wounds. The University of Birmingham and Brunel University, acting as a consortium, was commissioned to act as an External Assessment Centre (EAC) for NICE, independently appraising the submission. This article is an overview of the original evidence submitted, the EAC’s findings and the final NICE guidance issued. The sponsor submitted a simple cost analysis to estimate the costs of using Debrisoft® to debride wounds compared with saline and gauze, hydrogel and larvae. Separate analyses were conducted for applications in home and applications in a clinic setting. The analysis took an UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective. It incorporated the costs of the technologies and supplementary technologies (such as dressings) and the costs of their application by a district nurse. The sponsor concluded that Debrisoft® was cost saving relative to the comparators. The EAC made amendments to the sponsor analysis to correct for errors and to reflect alternative assumptions. Debrisoft® remained cost saving in most analyses and savings ranged from £77 to £222 per patient compared with hydrogel, from £97 to £347 compared with saline and gauze, and from £180 to £484 compared with larvae depending on the assumptions included in the analysis and whether debridement took place in a home or clinic setting. All analyses were severely limited by the available data on effectiveness, in particular a lack of comparative studies and that the effectiveness data for the comparators came from studies reporting different clinical endpoints compared with Debrisoft®. The Medical Technologies Advisory Committee made a positive recommendation for adoption of Debrisoft® and this has been published as a NICE medical technology guidance (MTG17).The Birmingham and Brunel Consortium is funded by NICE to act as an External Assessment Centre for the Medical Technologies Evaluation Programme

Reproductive output, foraging destinations, and isotopic niche of olive ridley and loggerhead sea turtles, and their hybrids, in Brazil

Hybridization is a fundamental evolutionary and ecological process with significant conservation ramifications. Sea turtle hybridization occurs at unusually high frequencies along the northeastern coast of Brazil. To better understand the process, we studied the reproductive output, migration patterns (through satellite telemetry), and isotopic niches of loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta and olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea and their hybrids. We classified 154 nesting females as loggerhead (n = 91), olive ridley (n = 38), or hybrid (n = 25) based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Further, we compared nesting female morphological data and reproductive parameters (clutch size, emergence success, hatchling production, incubation period) of 405 nests among hybrids and parental species. We found no significant differences among the 3 groups when hatchling production was corrected for female body size, indicating that hybrids and parental species produce similar numbers of hatchlings per clutch. Satellite tracking of 8 post-nesting hybrid females revealed shared foraging grounds with both parental species, as well as neritic migrations between foraging and nesting areas similar to those previously reported for loggerheads and olive ridleys. Analyses of 13C and 15N isotope values (n = 69) further confirmed this pattern, as hybrid isotopic niches overlapped extensively with both parental species. Thus, given the similarities presented between hybrids and their parental species in reproductive, ecological, and behavioral characteristics, we conclude that these hybrids may persist along with other sea turtle nesting populations in the area, with research and conservation implications. © The authors 2021. Open Access under Creative Commons by Attribution Licence. Use, distribution and reproduction are unrestricted. Authors and original publication must be credited

Development and validation of exhaled breath condensate microRNAs to identify and endotype asthma in children

Detection and quantification of microRNAs (miRNAs) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) has been poorly explored. Therefore we aimed to assess miRNAs in EBC as potential biomarkers to diagnose and endotype asthma in school aged children. In a cross sectional, nested case control study, all the asthmatic children (n = 71) and a random sample of controls (n = 115), aged 7 to 12 years, attending 71 classrooms from 20 local schools were selected and arbitrarily allocated to the development or validation set. Participants underwent skin-prick testing, spirometry with bronchodilation, had exhaled level of nitric oxide determined and EBC collected. Based on previous studies eleven miRNAs were chosen and analyzed in EBC by reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR. Principal component analysis was applied to identify miRNAs profiles and associations were estimated using regression models. In the development set (n = 89) two clusters of miRNAs were identified. After adjustments, cluster 1 and three of its clustered miRNAs, miR-126-3p, miR-133a-3p and miR-145-5p were positively associated with asthma. Moreover miR-21-5p was negatively associated with symptomatic asthma and positively associated with positive bronchodilation without symptoms. An association was also found between miR-126-3p, cluster 2 and one of its clustered miRNA, miR-146-5p, with higher FEF25-75 reversibility. These findings were confirmed in the validation set (n = 97) where two identical clusters of miRNAs were identified. Additional significant associations were observed between miR-155-5p with symptomatic asthma, negative bronchodilation with symptoms and positive bronchodilation without symptoms. We showed that microRNAs can be measured in EBC of children and may be used as potential biomarkers of asthma, assisting asthma endotype establishment.Authors gratefully acknowledge the funding by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through the Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000010 - Health, Comfort and Energy in the Built Environment (HEBE), cofinanced by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (NORTE2020), through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) and EXALAR 21 project financed by FEDER/FNR and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (EXALAR 21 02/SAICT/2017 - Project nº 30193). FCM kindly acknowledges the scholarship SFRH/BD/144563/2019 granted by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, as well as the Fulbright Research Grant 2019/2020 granted by Fulbright Portugal. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Opicapone in UK clinical practice: effectiveness, safety and cost analysis in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Aim: This subanalysis of the OPTIPARK study aimed to confirm the effectiveness and safety of opicapone in patients with Parkinson's disease and motor fluctuations in clinical practice specifically in the UK and to assess the impact of opicapone on treatment costs. Methods: Patients received opicapone added to levodopa for 6 months. Clinical outcomes were assessed at 3 and 6 months and treatment costs at 6 months. Results: Most patients' general condition improved at 3 months, with sustained improvements reported at 6 months. Opicapone improved motor and non-motor symptoms at both timepoints, was generally well tolerated and reduced total treatment costs by GBP 3719. Conclusion: Opicapone added to levodopa resulted in clinical improvements and reduced treatment costs across UK clinical practice

Identification of cyclins A1, E1 and vimentin as downstream targets of heme oxygenase-1 in vascular endothelial growth factor-mediated angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is an essential physiological process and an important factor in disease pathogenesis. However, its exploitation as a clinical target has achieved limited success and novel molecular targets are required. Although heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) acts downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to modulate angiogenesis, knowledge of the mechanisms involved remains limited. We set out identify novel HO-1 targets involved in angiogenesis. HO-1 depletion attenuated VEGF-induced human endothelial cell (EC) proliferation and tube formation. The latter response suggested a role for HO-1 in EC migration, and indeed HO-1 siRNA negatively affected directional migration of EC towards VEGF; a phenotype reversed by HO-1 over-expression. EC from Hmox1(-/-) mice behaved similarly. Microarray analysis of HO-1-depleted and control EC exposed to VEGF identified cyclins A1 and E1 as HO-1 targets. Migrating HO-1-deficient EC showed increased p27, reduced cyclin A1 and attenuated cyclin-dependent kinase 2 activity. In vivo, cyclin A1 siRNA inhibited VEGF-driven angiogenesis, a response reversed by Ad-HO-1. Proteomics identified structural protein vimentin as an additional VEGF-HO-1 target. HO-1 depletion inhibited VEGF-induced calpain activity and vimentin cleavage, while vimentin silencing attenuated HO-1-driven proliferation. Thus, vimentin and cyclins A1 and E1 represent VEGF-activated HO-1-dependent targets important for VEGF-driven angiogenesis