Publications by authors named "Aires A"

Dinizia Excelsa is an Amazonian tree with a wide range of applications as a raw material in the industry. The objective of this study was to extract, characterize, and evaluate the biological activities of xylan extracted from Dinizia excelsa wood. The xylan was obtained in five stages, including delignification, precipitation, purification, and freeze-drying.

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  • * It highlights various bioactive nutrients like antioxidants and polyphenols and discusses their potential benefits in reducing risks of chronic diseases, promoting gastrointestinal health, and aiding recovery after exercise.
  • * The paper also addresses emerging research suggesting sweet cherries may have anti-cancer properties and explores their positive influence on metabolic health, weight management, and skin quality.
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Wine vinegar, valued for its ancient origins and culinary versatility, has garnered scientific interest due to its complex composition and potential health benefits. This study aims to explore the nutritional and bioactive properties of different wine vinegars, focusing on their amino acid content, particularly tryptophan-derived molecules such as serotonin and melatonin. White wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, port wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar from the Douro and Rioja regions were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and solid-phase extraction (HPLC-SPE).

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Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have shown great promise in biomedical applications, particularly as MRI contrast agents due to their magnetic properties and biocompatibility. Although several IONPs have been approved by regulatory agencies as MRI contrast agents, their primary application as negative contrast agents limits their usage. Additionally, there is an emerging need for the development of molecular contrast agents that can specifically target biomarkers, enabling more accurate and sensitive diagnostics.

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Wine production is one of the most important agricultural activities. The winemaking process generates a considerable volume of different residues characterized as by-products, such as pomace, seeds, stems, and skins. By-products are rich in polyphenols with antioxidant and antibacterial properties and may act as bacteriostatic or bactericidal agents against food-borne pathogens, improving food safety by enhancing antibiotic efficacy and reducing bacterial resistance.

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is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat infections, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. This study aimed to analyze the phytochemical profile of the methanolic extract of leaves (MELRm) and evaluate its in vitro schistosomicidal activity against as well as its cytotoxicity. Plant material was collected in Itamaracá City, Pernambuco, Brazil.

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  • This study investigates how plasma brain-derived tau (BD-Tau) can predict outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke who undergo endovascular therapy (EVT), potentially improving prognosis after EVT trials initiated in 2015.
  • Two independent patient cohorts with large vessel occlusion were analyzed, measuring various plasma biomarkers pre- and post-EVT, with 90-day functional outcomes assessed using standardized scales.
  • Results show that while GFAP was strong for early imaging outcomes, BD-Tau was more effective for predicting long-term functional recovery, leading to the development of a predictive model that proved effective across both cohorts.
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  • Yeasts in the Saccharomycotina subphylum typically conserve genes for key metabolic processes like alcoholic fermentation, but fructophilic species in the Wickerhamiella and Starmerella genera show unique adaptations due to gene loss and horizontal gene transfer.
  • Researchers analyzed 63 genomes from this clade, identifying nine HGT events and secondary gene losses that affect sugar metabolism and fermentation processes.
  • Unexpected findings included instances of fructophily and alcoholic fermentation occurring without expected key genes, implying significant innovation in sugar metabolism linked to the evolutionary history of the W/S clade.
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Plant-derived polyphenols are bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity. However, their beneficial effects and biomedical applications may be limited due to their low bioavailability. In the present study, we have considered a microencapsulation-based drug delivery system to investigate the anticancer effects of polyphenol-rich (apigenin, caffeic acid, and luteolin) fractions, extracted from a cereal crop pearl millet (), using three phenotypically different cellular models of breast cancer in vitro, namely triple negative HCC1806, ER-positive HCC1428, and HER2-positive AU565 cells.

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  • The study investigates bioactive compounds in leaf extracts from plants in the Azores, focusing on pigments and phenolic profiles that could enhance health.
  • It reveals that certain plants have high levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, total phenols, and flavonoids, which are linked to strong antioxidant properties.
  • Findings from high-performance liquid chromatography show that specific compounds, notably flavonols, contribute significantly to the antioxidant capabilities of these leaf extracts, promoting natural product development for improved health.
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Background: Accurate prediction of functional outcomes is crucial in stroke management, but this remains challenging.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of the generative language model ChatGPT in predicting the functional outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) 3 months after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in order to assess whether ChatGPT can used to be accurately predict the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months post-thrombectomy.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical, neuroimaging, and procedure-related data from 163 patients with AIS undergoing MT.

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Two novel ascomycetous yeast species of the genus are proposed based on isolates obtained in Thailand from food waste and the fruiting body of a polypore fungus, and on a combination of conventional DNA-barcode sequence analyses and whole-genome phylogenies. We focus on a particular subclade of the genus that contains species found in anthropic environments and describe sp. nov.

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Four yeast isolates collected from flowers from different ecosystems in Brazil, one from fruit of in Argentina, three from flowers of in Chile and one obtained from the proventriculus of a female bumblebee in Canada were demonstred, by analysis of the sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and D1/D2 domains of the large subunit rRNA gene, to represent two novel species of the genus . These species are described here as f.a, sp.

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The recent COVID19 pandemic has remarkably boosted the research on diagnosis assays to detect biomarkers in biological fluids. Specificity and sensitivity are mandatory for diagnostic kits aiming to reach clinical stages. Whilst the modulation of sensitivity can significantly improve the detection of biomarkers in liquids, this has been scarcely explored.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an overload on the health care system on a global scale. Because the disease affects the respiratory system, patients may require ventilator equipment for breathing, and consequently, numerous tracheal intubations have been performed. The video laryngoscope is a medical device that aids this procedure.

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Hyperuricemia, the metabolic alteration that leads to gout or gouty arthritis, is increasing worldwide. Glycoconjugated triazole-phthalimides show potent anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-hyperuricemia effect of glycoconjugated triazole-phthalimides.

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Schistosomiasis, a potentially fatal chronic disease whose etiological agents are blood trematode worms of the genus spp., is one of the most prevalent and debilitating neglected diseases. The treatment of schistosomiasis depends exclusively on praziquantel (PZQ), a drug that has been used since the 1970s and that already has reports of reduced therapeutic efficacy, related with the development of -resistant or -tolerant strains.

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Antimicrobial resistance is increasing globally and is now one of the major public health problems. Therefore, there is a need to search for new antimicrobial agents. The food industry generates large amounts of by-products that are rich in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic compounds, which are known to have several health benefits, including antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

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Background: Perihematomal edema (PHE) is a marker of secondary brain injury in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and is associated with increased inflammatory markers and neurological disability. This study aims to assess the effect of the neutrophile-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) on PHE measurements and functional status in patients with ICH.

Methods: We included 215 patients with primary ICH and the primary outcomes were absolute and relative PHE, and edema extension distance (EED).

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The present work aimed to carry out in vitro biological assays of thiazole compounds against adult worms of Schistosoma mansoni, as well as the in silico determination of pharmacokinetic parameters to predict the oral bioavailability of these compounds. In addition to presenting moderate to low cytotoxicity against mammalian cells, thiazole compounds are not considered hemolytic. All compounds were initially tested at concentrations ranging from 200 to 6.

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The use of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds has been increasing because it is a good alternative to the conventional extraction methods. UAE was used to maximize total polyphenol content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of the mushroom using response surface methodology (RSM). Firstly, the effect of 40% (/) ethanol and 80% (/) methanol on the TPC, DPPH scavenging capacity, and FRAP was evaluated.

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The possibility that nut intake may defend human health is an interesting point of view and has been investigated worldwide. Consequently, nuts are commonly promoted as healthy. In recent decades, the number of investigations proposing a correlation between nut consumption and a decrease in the risk of key chronic diseases has continued to increase.

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During a survey of floricolous yeasts in Portugal, a basidiomycetous yeast representing a novel species in the genus was isolated in Portugal from the flower of , an ornamental exotic species native to Central and South America. A combination of phylogenetic analyses of DNA barcode sequences used in yeast molecular systematics, namely the D1/D2 domain and the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region supported the recognition of a new species of , that we designate sp. nov.

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Schistosomiasis is an endemic disease in Brazil. It is important to broaden the treatment options to control and containment of the disease. Thiazolidine derivatives appear as important alternatives to treatment.

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Background: β-lapachone (β-lap) is a naphthoquinone widely found in species of vegetables. However, its poor aqueous solubility limits its systemic administration and clinical applications in vivo. To overcome this limitation, several studies have been carried out in order to investigate techniques that can enhance the solubility and dissolution rate of β-lap, such as the use of inclusion complexes with cyclodextrin.

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