Trajetorias: a dataset of environmental, epidemiological, and economic indicators for the Brazilian Amazon

The Trajetorias dataset is a harmonized set of environmental, epidemiological, and poverty indicators for all municipalities of the Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA). This dataset is the result of a scientific synthesis research initiative conducted by scientists from several natural and social sciences fields, consolidating multidisciplinary indicators into a coherent dataset for integrated and interdisciplinary studies of the Brazilian Amazon. The dataset allows the investigation of the association between the Amazonian agrarian systems and their impacts on environmental and epidemiological changes, furthermore enhancing the possibilities for understanding, in a more integrated and consistent way, the scenarios that affect the Amazonian biome and its inhabitants.This work was funded by the Brazilian Research Council (CNPQ MCTIC-SÍNTESE EM BIODIVERSIDADE E SERVIÇOS ECOSSISTÊMICOS-SINBIOSE, process 442357/2019-2). We are grateful to the Synthesis Center on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SinBiose), funded by the Brazilian Research Council, for providing the opportunity for the development of this work. CC, AM, RML, and AD are also grateful to the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) for providing the intellectual environment that stimulated the conception of the present work, as part of the project Development, environmental degradation, and disease spread in the Brazilian Amazon led by Andres Baeza and Mercedes Pascual. We would like to extend a special thanks to Professor Francisco de Assis Costa, from the Pará Federal University (UFPA) for sharing his data on the technological trajectories in the municipalities of the Amazon biome and for his generous discussions and support. We also extend our special thanks to Alexandre Gontijo, Flavio Coelho and Marcelle Chagas, for fruitful discussions during the project.Peer Reviewed"Article signat per 15 autors/es: Ana C. Rorato, Ana Paula Dal’Asta, Raquel Martins Lana, Ricardo B. N. dos Santos, Maria Isabel S. Escada, Camila M. Vogt, Tatiana Campos Neves, Milton Barbosa, Cecilia S. Andreazzi, Izabel C. dos Reis, Danilo A. Fernandes, Mônica da Silva-Nunes, Anielli R. de Souza, Antonio M. V. Monteiro & Claudia T. Codeço "Postprint (published version

Long-Lasting Effects of Undernutrition

Undernutrition is one of the most important public health problems, affecting more than 900 million individuals around the World. It is responsible for the highest mortality rate in children and has long-lasting physiologic effects, including an increased susceptibility to fat accumulation mostly in the central region of the body, lower fat oxidation, lower resting and postprandial energy expenditure, insulin resistance in adulthood, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and a reduced capacity for manual work, among other impairments. Marked changes in the function of the autonomic nervous system have been described in undernourished experimental animals. Some of these effects seem to be epigenetic, passing on to the next generation. Undernutrition in children has been linked to poor mental development and school achievement as well as behavioural abnormalities. However, there is still a debate in the literature regarding whether some of these effects are permanent or reversible. Stunted children who had experienced catch-up growth had verbal vocabulary and quantitative test scores that did not differ from children who were not stunted. Children treated before 6 years of age in day-hospitals and who recovered in weight and height have normal body compositions, bone mineral densities and insulin production and sensitivity

Mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene of anophelines and their association with resistance to pyrethroids - A review

Constant and extensive use of chemical insecticides has created a selection pressure and favored resistance development in many insect species worldwide. One of the most important pyrethroid resistance mechanisms is classified as target site insensitivity, due to conformational changes in the target site that impair a proper binding of the insecticide molecule. The voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV) is the target of pyrethroids and DDT insecticides, used to control insects of medical, agricultural and veterinary importance, such as anophelines. It has been reported that the presence of a few non-silent point mutations in the NaV gene are associated with pyrethroid resistance, termed as 'kdr' (knockdown resistance) for preventing the knockdown effect of these insecticides. The presence of these mutations, as well as their effects, has been thoroughly studied in Anopheles mosquitoes. So far, kdr mutations have already been detected in at least 13 species (Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles arabiensis, Anopheles sinensis, Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles subpictus, Anopheles sacharovi, Anopheles culicifacies, Anopheles sundaicus, Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles vagus, Anopheles paraliae, Anopheles peditaeniatus and Anopheles albimanus) from populations of African, Asian and, more recently, American continents. Seven mutational variants (L1014F, L1014S, L1014C, L1014W, N1013S, N1575Y and V1010L) were described, with the highest prevalence of L1014F, which occurs at the 1014 site in NaV IIS6 domain. The increase of frequency and distribution of kdr mutations clearly shows the importance of this mechanism in the process of pyrethroid resistance. In this sense, several species-specific and highly sensitive methods have been designed in order to genotype individual mosquitoes for kdr in large scale, which may serve as important tolls for monitoring the dynamics of pyrethroid resistance in natural populations. We also briefly discuss investigations concerning the course of Plasmodium infection in kdr individuals. Considering the limitation of insecticides available for employment in public health campaigns and the absence of a vaccine able to brake the life cycle of the malaria parasites, the use of pyrethroids is likely to remain as the main strategy against mosquitoes by either indoor residual spraying (IR) and insecticide treated nets (ITN). Therefore, monitoring insecticide resistance programs is a crucial need in malaria endemic countries. © 2014 Silva et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Representations of women students of law about reproductive rights : between knowledge and values

O presente artigo consiste em análise interdisciplinar dos resultados obtidos em uma pesquisa empírica realizada com as graduandas da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal Fluminense a respeito das suas representações sobre direitos reprodutivos no processo de formação universitária. Os dados coletados foram analisados com base em teorias sociais contemporâneas sobre relações de gênero e sobre ensino jurídico. Pretendeu-se, com isso, compreender as tensões entre saberes disciplinares e valores individuais no processo de formação universitária. O texto visa a contribuir para a produção de conhecimentos sobre o ethos profissional dos juristas, produzido desde as etapas iniciais de formação. Com isso, podem-se identificar tendências no que diz respeito ao tratamento jurídico de controvérsias ligadas aos direitos reprodutivos, uma vez que as representações de estudantes têm potencial efeito sobre a atuação dos atores do Sistema de Justiça em curto ou médio prazo. As intersecções entre representações sobre direitos reprodutivos, o ensino jurídico e a criminalização desta prática evidenciam as restrições para o exercício dos direitos sexuais e dos direitos reprodutivos das mulheres, bem como assinalam os limites para o aprofundamento dos direitos humanos e das mulheres e da democratização da sociedade brasileira. A partir dos resultados da pesquisa, é possível refletir a respeito da adequação dos currículos dos cursos de direito e problematizar acerca de diretrizes nacionais para a formação jurídica universitária.The present article consists of an interdisciplinary analysis of the results obtained in an empirical research carried out with undergraduates of the Law School of the Fluminense Federal University regarding their representations on reproductive rights in the process of higher education. Upon collection data were analyzed based on contemporary social theories on gender relations and on legal education. The aim was to understand the tensions between curricular knowledge and individual values in the basic training on the university level. The text aims to contribute to the production of knowledge about the professional ethos of legal experts, produced since the early stages of formation. As a result, one can identify trends regarding the legal treatment of controversies related to reproductive rights, because students´representations have a potential effect on the performance of the stakeholders within the Court System. The intersections between representations on reproductive rights, legal education and the criminalization of this practice highlight restrictions on the exercise of women’s sexual rights and reproductive rights, as well as the limits on advancing human and women’s rights and the democratization of women in the Brazilian society. The outcome of the research, makes it possible to think over whether the curriculum in Law courses are suitable and problematize the national guidelines for higher-education legal training

Representações de mulheres estudantes de direito sobre direitos reprodutivos: entre saberes e valores

O presente artigo consiste em análise interdisciplinar dos resultados obtidos em uma pesquisa empírica realizada com as graduandas da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Federal Fluminense a respeito das suas representações sobre direitos reprodutivos no processo de formação universitária. Os dados coletados foram analisados com base em teorias sociais contemporâneas sobre relações de gênero e sobre ensino jurídico. Pretendeu-se, com isso, compreender as tensões entre saberes disciplinares e valores individuais no processo de formação universitária. O texto visa a contribuir para a produção de conhecimentos sobre o ethos profissional dos juristas, produzido desde as etapas iniciais de formação. Com isso, podem-se identificar tendências no que diz respeito ao tratamento jurídico de controvérsias ligadas aos direitos reprodutivos, uma vez que as representações de estudantes têm potencial efeito sobre a atuação dos atores do Sistema de Justiça em curto ou médio prazo. As intersecções entre representações sobre direitos reprodutivos, o ensino jurídico e a criminalização desta prática evidenciam as restrições para o exercício dos direitos sexuais e dos direitos reprodutivos das mulheres, bem como assinalam os limites para o aprofundamento dos direitos humanos e das mulheres e da democratização da sociedade brasileira. A partir dos resultados da pesquisa, é possível refletir a respeito da adequação dos currículos dos cursos de direito e problematizar acerca de diretrizes nacionais para a formação jurídica universitária.The present article consists of an interdisciplinary analysis of the results obtained in an empirical research carried out with undergraduates of the Law School of the Fluminense Federal University regarding their representations on reproductive rights in the process of higher education. Upon collection data were analyzed based on contemporary social theories on gender relations and on legal education. The aim was to understand the tensions between curricular knowledge and individual values in the basic training on the university level. The text aims to contribute to the production of knowledge about the professional ethos of legal experts, produced since the early stages of formation. As a result, one can identify trends regarding the legal treatment of controversies related to reproductive rights, because students´representations have a potential effect on the performance of the stakeholders within the Court System. The intersections between representations on reproductive rights, legal education and the criminalization of this practice highlight restrictions on the exercise of women’s sexual rights and reproductive rights, as well as the limits on advancing human and women’s rights and the democratization of women in the Brazilian society. The outcome of the research, makes it possible to think over whether the curriculum in Law courses are suitable and problematize the national guidelines for higher-education legal training

Selective albumin-binding surfaces modified with a thrombin-inhibiting peptide

Blood-contacting medical devices have been associated with severe clinical complications, such as thrombus formation, triggered by the activation of the coagulation cascade due to the adsorption of certain plasma proteins on the surface of biomaterials. Hence, the coating of such surfaces with antithrombotic agents has been used to increase biomaterial haemocompatibility. Biomaterial-induced clotting may also be decreased by albumin adsorption from blood plasma in a selective and reversible way, since this protein is not involved in the coagulation cascade. In this context, this paper reports that the immobilization of the thrombin inhibitor D-Phe-Pro-D-Arg-D-Thr-CONH2 (fPrt) onto nanostructured surfaces induces selective and reversible adsorption of albumin, delaying the clotting time when compared to peptide-free surfaces. fPrt, synthesized with two glycine residues attached to the N-terminus (GGfPrt), was covalently immobilized onto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) having different ratios of carboxylate-hexa(ethylene glycol)- and tri(ethylene glycol)-terminated thiols (EG6-COOH/EG3) that were specifically designed to control GGfPrt orientation, exposure and density at the molecular level. In solution, GGfPrt was able to inactivate the enzymatic activity of thrombin and to delay plasma clotting time in a concentration-dependent way. After surface immobilization, and independently of its concentration, GGfPrt lost its selectivity to thrombin and its capacity to inhibit thrombin enzymatic activity against the chromogenic substrate n-p-tosyl-Gly-Pro-Arg-p-nitroanilide. Nevertheless, surfaces with low concentrations of GGfPrt could delay the capacity of adsorbed thrombin to cleave fibrinogen. In contrast, GGfPrt immobilized in high concentrations was found to induce the procoagulant activity of the adsorbed thrombin. However, all surfaces containing GGfPrt have a plasma clotting time similar to the negative control (empty polystyrene wells), showing resistance to coagulation, which is explained by its capacity to adsorb albumin in a selective and reversible way. This work opens new perspectives to the improvement of the haemocompatibility of blood-contacting medical devices

The influence of polysaccharide coating on the physicochemical parameters and cytotoxicity of silica nanoparticles for hydrophilic biomolecules delivery

The present work reports the effect of polysaccharides (chitosan and sodium alginate) on silica nanoparticles (SiNP) for hydrophilic molecules delivery taking insulin as model drug. The influence of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and homogenization speed on SiNP properties was assessed by a 22 factorial design achieving as optimal parameters: 0.43 mol/L of TEOS and homogenization speed of 5000 rpm. SiNP mean particle size (Z-Ave) was of 256.6 nm and polydispersity index (PI) of 0.218. SiNP coated with chitosan (SiNP-CH) or sodium alginate (SiNP-SA) increased insulin association efficacy; reaching 84.6% (SiNP-SA) and 90.8% (SiNP-CH). However, coated SiNP released 50%–60% of the peptide during the first 45 min at acidic environment, while uncoated SiNP only released 30%. Similar results were obtained at pH 6.8. The low Akaike’s (AIC) values indicated that drug release followed Peppas model for SiNP-SA and second order for uncoated SiNP and SiNP-CH (pH 2.0). At pH 6.8, the best fitting was Boltzmann for Ins-SiNP. However, SiNP-CH and SiNP-SA showed a first-order behavior. Cytotoxicity of nanoparticles, assessed in Caco-2 and HepG2 cells, showed that 100 to 500 µg/mL SiNP-CH and SiNP-SA slightly decreased cell viability, comparing with SiNP. In conclusion, coating SiNP with selected polysaccharides influenced the nanoparticles physicochemical properties, the insulin release, and the effect of these nanoparticles on cell viability.This research was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), by grating PhD scholarships SFRH/BD/60640/2009 (T. Andreani), SFRH/BD/80335/2011 (J.F. Fangueiro) and SFRH/BD/111274/2015 (P.M.V. Fernandes), and funded projects UID/AGR/04033/2019 (CITAB), and M-ERANET/0004/2015-PAIRED (Partnership Agreement PT2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Magnetogels based on iron oxide nanoparticles and peptide hydrogels containing Naproxen and/or RGD

In this work, iron oxide nanoparticles, with diameters around 12 nm, were synthesized by coprecipitation method in aqueous solution. These nanoparticles exhibit a superparamagnetic behavior, with a coercive field of 9.7 Oe and a blocking temperature of 118 K. The nanoparticles were successfully incorporated in peptide-based hydrogels containing naproxen (Npx) and/or RGD. The ability of these magnetogels to act as drug nanocarriers is being investigated, aiming at developing multifunctional therapeutic nanosystems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio