A review on the biological activities and the nutraceutical potential of chitooligosaccharides.

Chitooligosaccharides (CHOS) or chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) are oligomers mainly composed of d-glucosamine (GlcN) units and structured in a positively charged, basic, amino molecule obtained from the degradation of chitin/chitosan through physical, chemical, or enzymatic methods. CHOS display physicochemical properties attractive to applications from the food to the biomedical field, such as non-toxicity to humans, high water solubility, low viscosity, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. These properties also allow CHOS to exert important biological activities, for example, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antitumor, and hypocholesterolemic ones, besides to exhibit applications in food systems, technological, and nutraceutical potential.

Combining in silico and in vitro approaches for understanding the mechanism of action of the galactomannan extracted from Cassia grandis seeds against colorectal cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the antitumor activity of galactomannan extracted from Cassia grandis seeds (GCg) against colorectal cancer cells using both experimental and computational approaches. Galactomannan was extracted from C. grandis seeds and prepared into solutions with varying concentrations.

Nutritive Value and Degradation Kinetic Parameters of Three Plants for Feeding Schinz, In Vitro Evaluation.

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritive value of three feeds ( sp., sp., and sp.

Haff disease: overview and clinical features.

Haff disease was first described at the beginning of the twentieth century in Europe. Almost a century later, thousands of cases have now been reported in different countries. In Brazil, most cases are observed in the Amazon region, and its associated factors remain to be fully understood.

Did I tell you something personal? The influence of the distinctive features on destination memory.

Several studies observed that a worse destination memory (i.e., capacity to remember to whom we said something) occurs when personal facts are shared, which was explained based on the internal attentional focus - the attentional focus is on the information and not on the recipient of the information.

Assessing hypertension care quality in Brazil: gender, race, and socioeconomic intersection in public and private services, 2013 and 2019 national health surveys.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of hypertension care in public and private services, analyzing gender, color, and socioeconomic status. Using data from the 2013 (n = 60,202) and 2019 (n = 90,846) national health surveys, hypertension prevalence increased from 21.4 to 23.

Synergic Effect of the Antimicrobial Peptide ToAP2 and Fluconazole on Biofilms.

is one of the agents of invasive candidiasis, a life-threatening disease strongly associated with hospitalization, particularly among patients in intensive care units with central venous catheters. This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic activity of the antifungal peptide ToAP2 combined with fluconazole against biofilms grown on various materials. We tested combinations of different concentrations of the peptide ToAP2 with fluconazole on biofilms.

In vitro identification of neutralizing epitopes of Rhipicephalus microplus serpin 17 (RmS-17).

Background: Rhipicephalus microplus poses a significant problem for livestock worldwide and is primarily controlled with synthetic acaricides. The continuous use of acaricides results in the selection of resistance and causes environmental harm. Vaccination presents an alternative solution to this problem, although searching for the suitable antigen is still a work in progress.

Phenotypic and Positron Emission Tomography with [18F]fluordeoxyglucose (FDG PET) differences in corticobasal syndrome: comparison of two cases.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a rare cause of dementia and comprises varied combinations of subcortical signs (akinetic-rigid parkinsonism, dystonia, or myoclonus) with cortical signs (apraxia, alien hand or cortical sensory deficit), usually asymmetric. We aimed to report and compare the clinical and neuroimaging presentation of two patients diagnosed with CBS. While case 1 had severe non-fluent aphasia associated with mild apraxia and limb rigidity, case 2 had a more posterior cognitive impairment, with a different language pattern associated with marked visuospatial errors and hemineglect.

Integrating Cosmic Microwave Background Readings with Celestial Navigation to Enhance Deep Space Navigation.

This research unveils a cutting-edge navigation system for deep space missions that utilizes cosmic microwave background (CMB) sensor readings to enhance spacecraft positioning and velocity estimation accuracy significantly. By exploiting the Doppler-shifted CMB spectrum and integrating it with optical measurements for celestial navigation, this approach employs advanced data processing through the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF), enabling precise navigation amid the complexities of space travel. The simulation results confirm the system's exceptional precision and resilience in deep space missions, marking a significant advancement in astronautics and paving the way for future space exploration endeavors.

Climatic niche shift after range expansion of Eustachys (Poaceae).

Eustachys presents lower diversity in the Old World than in the Neotropics and it occurs disjunctly between main tropical regions. This qualifies Eustachys as a good model to test whether lineages expand their niches during the process of range expansion. We performed ancestral range reconstruction, compared environmental spaces of the different geographic areas and assessed bioclimatic trait evolution.

Solvent Effect on the Structural, Optical, Morphology, and Antimicrobial Activity of Silver Phosphate Microcrystals by Conventional Hydrothermal Method.

The design of particle size and morphology are a promising approach to investigating the properties exhibited by different types of materials. In the present study, the silver phosphate microcrystals (AgPO) were first time synthesized using the hydrothermal and solvothermal method by combination of the solvents water/isopropyl alcohol (SP-IA), water/acetone (SP-AC), water/ammonium hydroxide (AP-AH), all in a ratio of 1:1 (v/v). The synthesized materials were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement, and Raman vibrational spectroscopy, where it was confirmed that the pure phase was achieved for all prepared samples.

[Regional inequalities in access to hospital birth in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: travel networks, distance, and time (2010-2019)].

Difficult access to birth care services is associated with infant and neonatal mortality and maternal morbidity and mortality. In this study, data from the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS) were used to map the evolution of geographic accessibility to hospital birth of usual risk in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, corresponding to 418,243 admissions in 2010-2011 and 2018-2019. Travel flows, distances traveled, and intermunicipal travel time between the pregnant women's municipality and hospital location were estimated.

Measuring Laccase Activity and Melanin Production in Cryptococcus neoformans.

Melanin is a complex dark pigment synthetized by the phenoloxidase enzyme laccase in Cryptococcus neoformans. In vitro, this enzyme oxidizes exogenous catecholamines to produce melanin that may be secreted or incorporated into the fungal cell wall. This pigment has multiple roles in C.

Interaction Between Macrophages and Cryptococcus neoformans: Distinguishing Phagocytosed Versus External Fungi.

The interaction between macrophages and Cryptococcus neoformans is crucial in the pathogenesis of cryptococcosis. These phagocytes are important immune effectors, but also a niche in which facultative intracellular parasites, such as C. neoformans, thrive.

Right versus left temporal lobe semiology in dementia: Lessons from two cases with focal frontotemporal dementia syndromes.

Focal atrophy of the left anterior temporal lobe has been associated with the semantic type of primary progressive aphasia evolving to semantic dementia. In contrast, focal atrophy of the right temporal lobe has more recently been described as a controverse entity reported as the right temporal variant of FTD. We describe two cases of FTD dementia syndromes: in Case 1, atrophy of the right temporal lobe led to significant behavioural impairment and difficulties in recognizing known people.

sp. nov., a novel marine actinobacterium isolated from deep-sea sediment of Madeira Archipelago, Portugal.

A novel strain, MA3_2.13, was isolated from deep-sea sediment of Madeira Archipelago, Portugal, and characterized using a polyphasic approach. This strain produced dark brown soluble pigments, bronwish black substrate mycelia and an aerial mycelium with yellowish white spores, when grown on GYM 50SW agar.

The role of cue salience in prospective memory commission errors in nonperformed nonfocal tasks.

Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to execute an intention in the future without having a permanent reminder. These intentions can be performed when they are not relevant or become no-longer needed, the so-called "commission errors". The present study aims to understand the effect of cue salience on PM commission errors with unperformed intentions and on the ongoing task performance-associated costs.

Occupational risks associated with chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin (CKDnt) in Brazil: it is time to dig deeper into a neglected problem.

In the past decades, an epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been associated with environmental and occupational factors (heat stress from high workloads in hot temperatures and exposure to chemicals, such as pesticides and metals), which has been termed CKD of non-traditional origin (CKDnt). This descriptive review aims to present recent evidence about heat stress, pesticides, and metals as possible causes of CKDnt and provide an overview of the related Brazilian regulation, enforcement, and health surveillance strategies. Brazilian workers are commonly exposed to extreme heat conditions and other CKDnt risk factors, including increasing exposure to pesticides and metals.

Application of the galactomannan gel from Cassia grandis seeds for biomedical purposes: Study of the incorporation of collagenases and their release profile.

The galactomannan-based gel from Cassia grandis seeds was used to incorporate Penicillium sp. UCP 1286 and commercial collagenases. Experiments were carried out according to a 2-full factorial design to identify the most significant parameters for the incorporation process.

Carpenter bees (Apidae: Xylocopini: Xylocopa) from Maranho, Northeast Brazil.

We present a list of Xylocopa Latreille species that occur in Maranho State, a region where several physiognomic formations characteristic of the Amazon, Cerrado, and Caatinga biomes overlap. The information was compiled through numerous surveys conducted in this territory, in addition to direct consultation in scientific collections, which have many unpublished records. Twelve species belonging to three subgenera were documented: Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) amazonica Enderlein, 1913, X.

Isolation and Identification of Pigment-Producing Endophytic Fungi from the Amazonian Species .

Pigments of fungal origin have aroused increasing interest in the food dye and cosmetic industries since the global demand for natural dyes has grown. Endophytic microorganisms are a source of bioactive compounds, and Amazonian plant species can harbor fungi with a wide range of biotechnological applications. Popularly known in Brazil as crajiru, is a medicinal plant that produces a red pigment.