A transcontinental threat: Plastic waste from Africa invades Brazil's coast.

Identifying the origin of plastic pollution is essential for the development of effective preventive and mitigatory strategies and guidelines for companies, governments, and stakeholders. In 2022, a considerable amount of plastic waste stranded on beaches of the northeastern coast of Brazil. A preliminary analysis of this waste revealed that most of the items were likely foreign made, and a brand auditing approach was applied to identify the brands, parent companies, and potential origin of the plastic waste.

COPD Patients Exhibit Distinct Gene Expression, Accelerated Cellular Aging, and Bias to M2 Macrophages.

COPD, one of world's leading contributors to morbidity and mortality, is characterized by airflow limitation and heterogeneous clinical features. Three main phenotypes are proposed: overlapping asthma/COPD (ACO), exacerbator, and emphysema. Disease severity can be classified as mild, moderate, severe, and very severe.

Soluble Flt-1, Placental Growth Factor, and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Serum Levels to Differentiate Between Active Lupus Nephritis During Pregnancy and Preeclampsia.

Objective: To evaluate mean serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble Flt-1 (sFlt-1) in pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inactive disease, active lupus nephritis, and preeclampsia for differential diagnosis between these conditions.

Methods: Pregnant women with SLE, with singleton pregnancies and no other autoimmune diseases, were classified according to disease activity (inactive SLE and active lupus nephritis) and the presence of preeclampsia. Serum samples were collected within 3 weeks of delivery and frozen for subsequent blinded analysis through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.

Dermal dendritic cell population and blood vessels are diminished in the skin of systemic sclerosis patients: relationship with fibrosis degree and disease duration.

Recent studies have suggested that the number of dermal dendritic cells is altered in the skin of patients with scleroderma and that these cells may have an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease. There is also a belief that insufficient blood flow to the affected organs may also be responsible for the disease. Our aim was to quantify CD34+ cells, factor XIIIa cells, and blood vessels in the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis and to correlate these data with fibrosis degree and duration of disease.

Effects of supplementation with different edible oils on cutaneous wound healing.

Fatty acids are bioactive molecules, but their effects on cutaneous wound healing are not well understood. Our aim was to investigate the effects of supplementation with edible oils on cutaneous healing. Thirty days before wounding, rats were started on daily supplements of sunflower oil, linseed oil, fish oil, or water.