Fused and unzipped carbon nanotubes, electrochemically treated, for selective determination of dopamine and serotonin

Glassy carbon electrodes (GC) were modified with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT/GC) and electrochemically treated first by applying an oxidation potential and then a reduction potential. The resulting electrodes were characterized via scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques, particularly cyclic voltammetry using the redox probes Fe(CN)6 3− /4- and Ru(NH3)2+/3+ and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using Fe(CN)6 3− /4-. These modified electrodes showed an electrochemical determination selective for dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5HT) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA), simultaneously measured, with a high reproducibility (an RSD of 1.7% for DA and 1.6% for 5HT) and a limit of detection (LOD) of 235 nmol L−1 for DA and 460 nmol L−1 for 5HT. The GC electrodes modified with oxidized MWCNT, subsequently reduced, showed higher selectivity towards the oxidation of DA and 5HT compared with GC bare electrodes or modified with MWCNT or oxidized MWCNT.Fil: Bonetto, Maria Celina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Muñoz, Fernando Francisco. Ministerio de Defensa. Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas para la Defensa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Diz, Virginia Emilse. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física; ArgentinaFil: Sacco, Natalia Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Corton, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Renovar: Um MVP para monitorar a qualidade do ar

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Sistemas de Informação.A Internet das Coisas, do inglês Internet of Things (IoT), vem crescendo cada vez mais com a popularização da tecnologia no dia a dia das pessoas. IoT é um conceito que reúne em um único guarda-chuva diversas tecnologias e sistemas para oferecer uma maior integração das "coisas" físicas com o mundo digital. Para tal, é utilizado sensores, acionadores e comunicação de dados (normalmente sem fio) para estabelecer essa conexão/integração, possibilitando monitorar dados em tempo real, processá-los, informá-los e alertar usuários em situações específicas. Diversas áreas são beneficiadas com a introdução de dispositivos, sensores e gerentes de ambientes e informações. Um dos segmentos da IoT, é cidades inteligentes, ambiente com alta capacidade inovativa o qual utiliza de dados sobre a cidade para monitorá-la. Dentre as muitas áreas utilizadas para considerar uma cidade inteligente, o meio ambiente é uma das mais importantes, pois impacta diretamente na qualidade de vida da população. Um dos fatores que mais implicam na qualidade de vida é a qualidade do ar, que segundo a OMS é considerado o maior risco ambiental e causador de mais de 7 milhões de mortes somente em 2016. Dessa forma, com o uso de sensores a diversidade de dados que é possível coletar torna-se muito maior, sobretudo dados relacionados a qualidade do ar. A partir da preocupação com o meio ambiente, observando os altos índices de poluição que influenciam diretamente na qualidade de vida da população, surge a premissa da plataforma Renovar: o desenvolvimento de uma rede cidadã para controlar indicadores de qualidade do ar, através da participação dos cidadãos em prol de uma cidade, cada vez mais, inteligente

Silent progression in disease activity-free relapsing multiple sclerosis.

ObjectiveRates of worsening and evolution to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) may be substantially lower in actively treated patients compared to natural history studies from the pretreatment era. Nonetheless, in our recently reported prospective cohort, more than half of patients with relapsing MS accumulated significant new disability by the 10th year of follow-up. Notably, "no evidence of disease activity" at 2 years did not predict long-term stability. Here, we determined to what extent clinical relapses and radiographic evidence of disease activity contribute to long-term disability accumulation.MethodsDisability progression was defined as an increase in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of 1.5, 1.0, or 0.5 (or greater) from baseline EDSS = 0, 1.0-5.0, and 5.5 or higher, respectively, assessed from baseline to year 5 (±1 year) and sustained to year 10 (±1 year). Longitudinal analysis of relative brain volume loss used a linear mixed model with sex, age, disease duration, and HLA-DRB1*15:01 as covariates.ResultsRelapses were associated with a transient increase in disability over 1-year intervals (p = 0.012) but not with confirmed disability progression (p = 0.551). Relative brain volume declined at a greater rate among individuals with disability progression compared to those who remained stable (p < 0.05).InterpretationLong-term worsening is common in relapsing MS patients, is largely independent of relapse activity, and is associated with accelerated brain atrophy. We propose the term silent progression to describe the insidious disability that accrues in many patients who satisfy traditional criteria for relapsing-remitting MS. Ann Neurol 2019;85:653-666

USO DE FITOTERÁPICO A BASE DE ILEX PARAGUARIENSIS NO CONTROLE DE RHIPICEPHALUS (BOOPHILUS) MICROPLUS NA BOVINOCULTURA DE CORTE

A Ilex paraguariensis, identificada popularmente como erva-mate, norteia pesquisas vinculadas ao seu papel de bactericida e inseticida, uma vez que, além das vitaminas e aminoácidos, elenca grupamentos fenólicos, como ácido gálico, ácido siríngico, ácido cafeico, ferúlico e p-cumárico, quercetina, rutina e metilxantinas, como a cafeína e teobromina. Isto, atrelado a resistência parasitária já existente, quando comparada a organossintéticos, suscita-se a necessidade de explorar a fitoterapia na cadeia produtiva da bovinocultura, visando sua propriedade terapêutica e inócua ao hospedeiro e ao meio ambiente. Em consequência, sob perspectiva de eliminação do Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, principal ectoparasita de ruminantes, o presente material de pesquisa detém o escopo de quantificar a eficácia das metilxantinas contra o respectivo vetor, bem como possíveis alterações hematológicas e imunológicas no animal. Assim sendo, foram disponibilizadas 100 teleóginas para confecção de biocarrapaticidograma e observação in vitro do comportamento das mesmas e de sua prole ao serem expostas ao extrato líquido à base de metilxantinas. Após verificação in vitro, a pesquisa foi direcionada ao setor de Zootecnia III do Instituto Federal Catarinense - campus Concórdia, para prosseguimento de teste in vivo com 20 bovinos de corte, sendo dez animais de controle e dez testados. Esta etapa do projeto foi aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética no Uso Animal (CEUA) do IFC sob protocolo 01/23. O teste foi iniciado por coleta de amostra sanguínea para acompanhamento de perfil bioquímico e hemograma (M0), sendo sucedido por administração de 100 gramas por animal do composto em pó, por via oral, no cocho. O produto foi ofertado com intervalos de sete dias até 28 dias do primeiro uso, e ao final do experimento, amostras de sangue foram coletadas novamente para comparação dos exames laboratoriais (M1). Sob o intuito de quantificar a eficiência do composto in vitro, realizou-se a média comparativa entre o grupo controle e o grupo experimental, sendo que 9,8±0,44 e 5,8±3,11 teleóginas realizaram oviposição, com índice de eficiência reprodutiva (REI) de 91.685 e 58.079, respectivamente. Por consequência, ao abordar a eficiência do produto (EP), ponderou-se o resultado de 37%. Na avaliação da performance in vivo, foi verificado um aumento de 4,6 vezes de carrapatos no grupo controle e de 2,5 vezes no grupo experimental, após a última contagem. Isto posto, mediado a uma relação comparativa, resultou-se na redução de 54,3% do número de ectoparasitas. Acredita-se que as variações climáticas observadas durante o primeiro semestre de 2023 tenham influenciado, exponencialmente, na proliferação ambiental do Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, tornando-o uma problemática ainda maior na pecuária e, consequentemente, não obtendo considerações significativas quanto a sua redução no grupo experimental. Entretanto, a erradicação do vetor predispõe ao agravamento de patologias, como Babesiose e Anaplasmose, não sendo esse o objetivo da pesquisa. É notório destacar que a viabilidade do uso das metilxantinas como promotor de efeitos benéficos hematológicos e de imunomodulação não foi testada, estando o trabalho em andamento. Suporte financeiro IFC - Edital n°20/2022

AVALIAÇÃO DA ATIVIDADE DE EXTRATO DA ACCA SELLOWIANA NO CONTROLE DE RHIPICEPHALUS MICROPLUS EM MODELO IN VITRO

O Rhipicephalus microplus é um dos principais ectoparasitos que se alimenta de bovinos. É ovetor de protozoários e riquétsias, os quais se encontra os agentes da tristeza parasitáriabovina que causa tanto impacto na bovinocultura. O Brasil gasta anualmente, cerca de 800milhões de reais para o controle do parasito. O método mais utilizado é feito por aplicações deprodutos químicos, que associado a elevada frequência e ao uso inadequado dos produtos,auxilia seleção de exemplares resistentes. Desse modo surge a necessidade de maneirasalternativas de controle, seja com técnicas de manejo ou com produtos orgânicos cujo oimpacto ambiental seja neutro e a eficiência seja promissora. A Acca sellowiana apresentadiversas propriedades em estudos em vitro, tais como, antifúngica, antibacteriana,antioxidante, antiviral, antitumoral e anti-inflamatória. O presente trabalho teve por objetivoavaliar a capacidade e potencial do estrato de Acca sellowiana in vitro para controle deRhipicephalus microplus. Os bioensáios foram conduzidos no laboratório de Parasitologia doIFC- Campus Concórdia. As teleóginas foram provenientes de animais naturalmenteinfectados do setor de Zootecnia III do Instituto. Utilizou-se o estrato liofilizado, o controlepositivo foi realizado com Amitraz (Am) e Fipronil (Fp), e o controle negativo com Álcool(Ac). Os parasitas foram pesados e separados, mergulhados nas soluções durante cincominutos, secados e posteriormente prendidos em fita adesiva em placas de petri. As placasficaram na estufa com temperatura de 27ºC durante 21 dias para oviposição e mais 28 diaspara eclosão mantendo a mesma temperatura. Após o termino, calculou-se a taxa de eclosão ea taxa da eficiência reprodutiva. Foram utilizados ao todo 230 carrapatos. Foi possívelconcluir que, o extrato liofilizado de Acca sellowiana não possui efeitos knockdown nasteleógenas, entretanto demonstrou efeitos positivos quanto a diminuição da taxa de eclosãodos ovos e eficiência reprodutiva dos parasitos

Autonomic symptoms in hypertensive patients with post-acute minor ischemic stroke

Background Most studies regarding autonomic dysfunction in ischemic stroke are limited to heart rate and blood pressure changes during the acute phase. However, there are few data on quantitative assessment of autonomic symptoms. We sought to assess autonomic symptoms in hypertensive ischemic stroke patients. Methods In 100 hypertensive patients (45 with symptomatic ischemic stroke (6 months after stroke onset) and 55 without stroke), we assessed autonomic symptoms using the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT). Results The age (mean ± standard deviation) for the stroke group was 66 ± 12 and 63 ± 15 for the without stroke group (P = 0.8). Orthostatic hypotension occurred in 3.6% of the stroke group and 4.4% in the group without stroke. The total SCOPA-AUT score was higher in the stroke group compared with the group without stroke (P = 0.001). Domain scores for gastrointestinal (P = 0.001), urinary (P = 0.005) and cardiovascular (P = 0.001) were higher in the stroke group. No differences were found when comparing the total SCOPA-AUT scores for stroke subtypes (P = 0.168) and for lateralization (P = 0.6). SCOPA AUT scores were correlated with depression scores (P = 0.001) but not with stroke severity (P = 0.2). Conclusion Autonomic symptoms, especially, gastrointestinal, urinary and cardiovascular function, were significantly increased in hypertensive patients with minor ischemic stroke. Symptoms were associated with depression but not with the characteristic of the stroke

Thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidase mutant exhibits impaired electron transport and photosynthetic activity

In chloroplasts, stromal and thylakoid-bound ascorbate peroxidases (tAPX) play a major role in the removal of H2O2 produced during photosynthesis. Here, we report that hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) expresses three homeologous tAPX genes (TaAPX-6A, TaAPX-6B, and TaAPX-6D) mapping on group-6 chromosomes. The tAPX activity of a mutant line lacking TaAPX-6B was 40% lower than that of the wild type. When grown at high-light intensity photosystem II electron transfer, photosynthetic activity and biomass accumulation were significantly reduced in this mutant, suggesting that tAPX activity is essential for photosynthesis. Despite the reduced tAPX activity, mutant plants did not exhibit oxidative damage probably due to the reduced photochemical activity. This might be the result of a compensating mechanism to prevent oxidative damage having as a consequence a decrease in growth of the tAPX mutant plants.Instituto de Fisiología VegetalFacultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

The Gaia-ESO Survey: Homogenisation of stellar parameters and elemental abundances

The Gaia-ESO Survey is a public spectroscopic survey that targeted ≳105 stars covering all major components of the Milky Way from the end of 2011 to 2018, delivering its final public release in May 2022. Unlike other spectroscopic surveys, Gaia-ESO is the only survey that observed stars across all spectral types with dedicated, specialised analyses: from O (Teff ~ 30 000–52 000 K) all the way to K-M (≳3500 K). The physics throughout these stellar regimes varies significantly, which has previously prohibited any detailed comparisons between stars of significantly different types. In the final data release (internal data release 6) of the Gaia-ESO Survey, we provide the final database containing a large number of products, such as radial velocities, stellar parameters and elemental abundances, rotational velocity, and also, for example, activity and accretion indicators in young stars and membership probability in star clusters for more than 114 000 stars. The spectral analysis is coordinated by a number of working groups (WGs) within the survey, each specialised in one or more of the various stellar samples. Common targets are analysed across WGs to allow for comparisons (and calibrations) amongst instrumental setups and spectral types. Here we describe the procedures employed to ensure all survey results are placed on a common scale in order to arrive at a single set of recommended results for use by all survey collaborators. We also present some general quality and consistency checks performed on the entirety of the survey results.This work was partly supported by the European Union FP7 programme through ERC grant number 320360 and by the Leverhulme Trust through grant RPG-2012-541. We acknowledge the support from INAF and Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca (MIUR) in the form of the grant “Premiale VLT 2012”. L. Magrini and M. Van der Swaelmen acknowledge support by the WEAVE Italian consortium, and by the INAF Grant “Checs”. A.J. Korn acknowledges support by the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA). A. Lobel acknowledges support in part by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office under contract no. BR/143/A2/BRASS and by the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 (2014-2020) under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant Agreement No. 823734. D.K. Feuillet was partly supported by grant no. 2016-03412 from the Swedish Research Council. D. Montes acknowledges financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovation through project PID2019-109522GB-C54 /AEI/10.13039/501100011033. E. Marfil acknowledges financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Gobierno de Canarias through project ProID2021010128. J.I. Gonzalez Hernandez acknowledges financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) project PID2020-117493GB-I00. M. Bergemann is supported through the Lise Meitner grant from the Max Planck Society and acknowledges support by the Collaborative Research centre SFB 881 (projects A5, A10), Heidelberg University, of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union, Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant agreement No. 949173). P. Jofré acknowledges financial support of FONDECYT Regular 1200703 as well as Nucleo Mile-nio ERIS NCN2021_017. R. Smiljanic acknowledges support from the National Science Centre, Poland (2014/15/B/ST/03981). S.R. Berlanas acknowledges support by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (contract FJC 2020-045785-I) and NextGeneration EU/PRTR and MIU (UNI/551/2021) through grant Margarita Salas-ULL. T. Bensby acknowledges financial support by grant No. 2018-04857 from the Swedish Research Council. T. Merle is supported by a grant from the Foundation ULB. T. Morel are grateful to Belgian F.R.S.-FNRS for support, and are also indebted for an ESA/PRODEX Belspo contract related to the Gaia Data Processing and Analysis Consortium and for support through an ARC grant for Concerted Research Actions financed by the Federation Wallonie-Brussels. W. Santos acknowledges FAPERJ for a Ph.D. fellowship. H.M. Tabernero acknowledges financial support from the Agencia Estatal de Investigation of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovation through project PID2019-109522GB-C51/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Applications of isothermal titration calorimetry - the research and technical developments from 2011 to 2015

Isothermal titration calorimetry is a widely used biophysical technique for studying the formation or dissociation of molecular complexes. Over the last 5years, much work has been published on the interpretation of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data for single binding and multiple binding sites. As over 80% of ITC papers are on macromolecules of biological origin, this interpretation is challenging. Some researchers have attempted to link the thermodynamics constants to events at the molecular level. This review highlights work carried out using binding sites characterized using x-ray crystallography techniques that allow speculation about individual bond formation and the displacement of individual water molecules during ligand binding and link these events to the thermodynamic constants for binding. The review also considers research conducted with synthetic binding partners where specific binding events like anion-π and π-π interactions were studied. The revival of assays that enable both thermodynamic and kinetic information to be collected from ITC data is highlighted. Lastly, published criticism of ITC research from a physical chemistry perspective is appraised and practical advice provided for researchers unfamiliar with thermodynamics and its interpretation