Reproductive effects of the insecticide acephate on a springtail and an enchytraeid in a subtropical soil.

The widespread use of acephate, a common insecticide, raises concerns about its potential impacts on nontarget soil organisms. This study investigated the chronic effects of acephate on the reproduction of two key soil fauna species, the springtail Folsomia candida and the enchytraeid Enchytraeus crypticus. We exposed these organisms to acephate in both natural Cambisol soil and tropical artificial soil (TAS) to assess potential impacts under different environmental conditions.

Detecting mir-155-3p through a Molecular Beacon Bead-Based Assay.

Lung cancer (LC) is recognized as one of the most prevalent and lethal cancers worldwide, underscoring an urgent need for innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising biomarkers for several diseases and their progression, such as LC. However, traditional methods for detecting and quantifying miRNAs, such as PCR, are time-consuming and expensive.

Evaluation of miR-155 silencing using a molecular beacon in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line.

Lung cancer (LC) is a leading cause of global cancer-related deaths, highlighting the development of innovative methods for biomarker detection improving the early diagnostics. microRNAs (miRs) alterations are known to be involved in the initiation and progression of human cancers and can act as biomarkers for diagnostics and treatment. Herein, we develop the application of molecular beacon (MB) technology to monitor miR-155-3p expression in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells without complementary DNA synthesis, amplification, or expensive reagents.

Long-term exposure of Allonais inaequalis to a mixture of antibiotics in freshwater and synthetic wastewater matrices: Reproduction, recovery, and swimming responses.

Antibiotics from sulfonamide, fluoroquinolone, and diaminopyrimidine classes are widely used in human and veterinary medicine, and their combined occurrence in the aquatic environment is increasing around the world. In parallel, the understanding of how mixtures of these compounds affect non-target species from tropical freshwaters is scarce. Thus, this work aimed to study the long-term reproductive, recovery, and swimming effects of mixtures of 12 antibiotics from three different classes (up to 10 μg L ) added to freshwater (FWM) and synthetic wastewater (SWM) matrices on freshwater worm Allonais inaequalis.

Global fine-resolution data on springtail abundance and community structure.

Springtails (Collembola) inhabit soils from the Arctic to the Antarctic and comprise an estimated ~32% of all terrestrial arthropods on Earth. Here, we present a global, spatially-explicit database on springtail communities that includes 249,912 occurrences from 44,999 samples and 2,990 sites. These data are mainly raw sample-level records at the species level collected predominantly from private archives of the authors that were quality-controlled and taxonomically-standardised.

Inspiratory Muscle Strength in Chagas Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Scoping Review.

The increase in inflammatory markers associated with persistent chronic fibrosing myocarditis, a characteristic of chronic Chagas disease, can result in a reduction in inspiratory muscle strength (IMS) in Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC). However, literature in this field is still scarce. This review aimed to map and summarize the evidence regarding IMS in patients with CC.

Hospital admission is associated with disability and late musculoskeletal pain in individuals with long COVID.

Background: The acute clinical repercussions of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been widely studied. However, the possible late repercussions of long COVID have not yet been well defined in the literature.

Objectives: To identify the presence of pain and musculoskeletal disability in patients with Long COVID and also to identify predictive factors for pain intensity in this population.

Anterior component of Y-Balance test is correlated to ankle dorsiflexion range of motion in futsal players: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Purpose: Restricted dorsiflexion range of motion (DFROM) could impact dynamic balance in sports. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dorsiflexion range of motion and the Y-Balance Test (YBT) in elite futsal players.

Methods: Sixty-one asymptomatic male futsal players (mean age 26.

Neuropathic-like symptoms and central sensitization related signs and symptoms negatively affect the functional performance of patients with knee osteoarthritis - a cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the functional performance among participants with a neuropathic-like symptoms (NS) and central sensitization related signs and symptoms (CS), and their knee osteoarthritis (OA) counterparts.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 125 participants with knee OA (94 females, mean age 63.1 ​± ​7.

Globally invariant metabolism but density-diversity mismatch in springtails.

Soil life supports the functioning and biodiversity of terrestrial ecosystems. Springtails (Collembola) are among the most abundant soil arthropods regulating soil fertility and flow of energy through above- and belowground food webs. However, the global distribution of springtail diversity and density, and how these relate to energy fluxes remains unknown.

Mechanisms of Acquired Resistance and Tolerance to EGFR Targeted Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) harboring activating mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are treated with specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) of this receptor, resulting in clinically responses that can generally last several months. Unfortunately, EGFR-targeted therapy also favors the emergence of drug tolerant or resistant cells, ultimately resulting in tumor relapse. Recently, cellular barcoding strategies have arisen as a powerful tool to investigate the clonal evolution of these subpopulations in response to anti-cancer drugs.

G-Quadruplex Aptamer-Ligand Characterization.

In this work we explore the structure of a G-rich DNA aptamer termed AT11-L2 (TGGTGGTGGTTGTTGTTGGTGGTGGTGGT; derivative of AT11) by evaluating the formation and stability of G-quadruplex (G4) conformation under different experimental conditions such as KCl concentration, temperature, and upon binding with a variety of G4 ligands (360A, BRACO-19, PDS, PhenDC3, TMPyP4). We also determined whether nucleolin (NCL) can be a target of AT11-L2 G4. Firstly, we assessed by circular dichroism, UV and NMR spectroscopies the formation of G4 by AT11-L2.

Fast and pure phase-shifting off-axis holographic microscopy with a digital micromirror device.

We present a phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy technique, where a digital micromirror device enables to perform a precise phase-only shift of the reference wave. By coupling the beam into a monomode fiber, we obtain a laser mode with a constant phase shift, equally acting on all pixels of the hologram. This method has the advantage of being relatively simple and compatible with high frame rate cameras, which makes it of great interest for the observation of fast phenomena.

First record on enchytraeids in a Savanna Tall Woodland (Cerradão) and Upper Montane Atlantic Forest in Brazil.

Brazil is considered a megadiverse country, but the soil fauna is still very poorly known. The aim of this study was to report, for the first time, the abundance and genus composition of terrestrial enchytraeids (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta) in Savanna Tall Woodland (Cerradão) and a pasture in Cerrado Biome and in Upper Montane Atlantic Forest and a grassland in Atlantic Forest Biome. The enchytraeid density in Pasture and Cerradao was 2,036 and 18,844 (204 and 2,094, on average) individuals per square meter, respectively.

Stabilization of a DNA aptamer by ligand binding.

G-rich aptamers such as AS1411 are small oligonucleotides that present several benefits comparatively to monoclonal antibodies, since they are easier to manufacture and store, have small size and do not stimulate an immune response. We analyzed AT11-B1, a modified sequence of AT11 (itself a modified version of AS1411), in which one thymine was removed from the bulge region. We studied G-quadruplex (G4) formation/stabilization using PhenDC3, PDS, BRACO-19, TMPyP4 and 360A ligands by different biophysical techniques, namely circular dichroism (CD), Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET-melting) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

Molecular Beacon for Detection miRNA-21 as a Biomarker of Lung Cancer.

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although the diagnosis and treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for approximately 80% of LC cases, have greatly improved in the past decade, there is still an urgent need to find more sensitive and specific screening methods. Recently, new molecular biomarkers are emerging as potential non-invasive diagnostic agents to screen NSCLC, including multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) that show an unusual expression profile.

Ligands as Stabilizers of G-Quadruplexes in Non-Coding RNAs.

The non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) are RNA transcripts with different sizes, structures and biological functions that do not encode functional proteins. RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) have been found in small and long ncRNAs. The existence of an equilibrium between rG4 and stem-loop structures in ncRNAs and its effect on biological processes remains unexplored.

Exploring the Mechanisms of Recovery in Anorexia Nervosa through a Translational Approach: From Original Ecological Measurements in Human to Brain Tissue Analyses in Mice.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe eating disorder where caloric restriction, excessive physical activity and metabolic alterations lead to life-threatening situations. Despite weight restoration after treatment, a significant part of patients experience relapses. In this translational study, we combined clinical and preclinical approaches.

Bodyweight distribution between limbs, muscle strength, and proprioception in traumatic transtibial amputees: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To evaluate how transtibial amputation (TT) affects bodyweight distribution, voluntary knee joint position sense (JPS), and quadriceps (QUA) and hamstrings (HAM) strength in prosthetized patients.

Methods: Only TT patients who had been prosthetized for more than one year were included, and an age-paired able-bodied group was used as control. The participants stood on force plates with their eyes open to measure bodyweight distribution between the limbs.

Aptamer-based approaches to detect nucleolin in prostate cancer.

We have investigated the expression of nucleolin (NCL) in liquid biopsies of prostate cancer (PCa) patients and healthy controls to determine its correlation with tumor prognosis. To detect NCL we used a modified AS1411 aptamer designated by AS1411-N5. In presence of NCL, AS1411-N5 increases the fluorescence by assuming a G-quadruplex (G4) structure, while in the absence of NCL the fluorescence signal remains quenched.

Targeting nucleolin by RNA G-quadruplex-forming motif.

A high level of nucleolin (NCL) expression is often associated with a poor prognosis of patients with lung cancer (LC), suggesting that NCL can be used as a possible biomarker. NCL has been shown to display a marked preference for the binding to G-quadruplexes (G4). Here, we investigate the formation of an RNA quadruplex structure in a sequence found in the human precursor pre-MIR150 with the potential to recognize NCL.

99mTc-antitumor necrosis factor-alpha scintigraphy for the detection of inflammatory activity in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is an important inflammatory cytokine. 99mTc-anti-TNF-α antibody scintigraphy has proven to be a viable alternative to MRI in specific cases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of scintigraphy with 99mTc-anti-TNF-α in the identification of inflammatory foci in individuals diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis using MRI as the gold standard.

Are there any risks of the disposal of pesticide effluents in soils? Biobed system meets ecotoxicology ensuring safety to soil fauna.

The biobed is a purification system, which reduces soil pollution for receiving pesticide residues from handling and washing machinery in agricultural areas. The aims of this study were (1) to assess ecotoxicity effects over time to soil fauna, posed by Lorsban 480 BR (Chlorpyrifos) and Dithane NT (Mancozeb) residues when disposed of in a biobed system compared with two subtropical soils, and (2) to assess ecotoxicity effects over time to soil fauna simulating an accidental spillage with Lorsban 480 BR at the biobed. A semi-field experiment was conducted for 420 days in southern Brazil, testing continuous disposal of washing pulverization tanks in biobeds, Typic Haploperox or Typic Hapludults.