Produção de álcool em gel 70% com diferentes precursores poliméricos / Production of alcohol in gel 70% with different polymeric precursors

O presente estudo propõe a utilização de polímeros alternativos para a obtenção de álcool em gel 70% como ferramenta de higiene no combate ao Covid-19. Além da carboximetilcelulose, foram utilizados polímeros comerciais, descritos como derivados da celulose, Carbomex e Maxcarb, os quais apresentam propriedades gelificantes em potencial em diversas áreas. As formulações foram obtidas utilizando diferentes concentrações dos agentes gelificantes com água, glicerina e etanol. Os materiais iniciais, bem como as formulações obtidas, foram caracterizados por diferentes técnicas, incluindo Difração de Raios X, Relaxometria, Análise termogravimétrica.Os resultados das análises de Raios X indicaram uma maior cristalinidade do material obtido com Maxcarb e Carbomex quando comparados à Carboximetilcelulose. A análise termogravimétrica dos materiais indicou que o Maxcarb possui o maior valor de temperatura de degradação. Com as análises de relaxometria foi possível obter os tempos de relaxação dos materiais em solução e nos estado sólido. A Carboximetilcelulose apresentou menor valor de relaxação spin-rede quando comparado ao Maxcarb e Carbomex que apresentaram menores valores

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries(1,2). However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world(3) and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health(4,5). However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol-which is a marker of cardiovascular riskchanged from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million-4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.Peer reviewe

Effect of Molybdenum Trioxide in the Behavior of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Nanocomposites Systems Focusing New Systems for Protection against COVID-19

 The purpose of this work was to study the molecular dynamics, morphology, mechanical and thermal performance of nanomaterials formed by poly(vinyl alcohol) and molybdenum trioxide (PVA/MoO3) obtained through solution casting method, focusing new materials with therapeutic applications since the molybdenum trioxide exhibit an excellent antibacterial activity and could be a pathway to prevent viruses. The obtaining materials were characterized by conventional techniques as X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric and dynamical-mechanical analysis. The unconventional low-field NMR relaxometry was used to evaluate the molecular dynamic and morphology of these systems. The results obtained showed that the MoO3 addition into PVA matrix promote an increase on the thermal stability at higher temperatures and a progressive increase on the rigidity of the PVA systems. Also changes in the molecular mobility of nanomaterials determined through the proton spin-lattice relaxation time showed that low proportion of molybdenum trioxide increased the intercalation of the poly(vinyl alcohol) chains between oxide lamellae while higher quantity of molybdenum trioxide caused an inverse effect on the oxide lamellae delamination. From those results the nanomaterials presented a mixed structural organization as intercalated and exfoliated morphologies. According to these first results, the nanocomposites obtained promise to be antimicrobial and antiviral agent to prevent COVID-19 and similar viruses