An overview of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in northeast Brazil: NMR-based identification and analysis of ecstasy tablets by GC-MS.

The actual illicit market for synthetic drugs is characterized by a wide variety of psychoactive substances of different chemical and pharmacological classes, such as amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances. The knowledge about its chemical composition, as well as the nature and quantity of the active substances present, is important for emergency care in intoxication cases by these substances and to establish adequate chemical and toxicological analysis procedures in forensic laboratories. The aim of this work was to study the prevalence of amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances in the states of Bahia and Sergipe, in the northeast region of Brazil, involving samples of drugs seized by the local police forces from 2014 to 2019.

Probing human proteins for short encrypted antimicrobial peptides reveals Hs10, a peptide with selective activity for gram-negative bacteria.

Background: Some cationic and amphiphilic α-helical segments of proteins adsorb to prokaryotic membranes when synthesized as individual polypeptide sequences, resulting in broad and potent antimicrobial activity. However, amphiphilicity, a determinant physicochemical property for peptide-membrane interactions, can also be observed in some β-sheets.

Methods: The software Kamal was used to scan the human reference proteome for short (7-11 amino acid residues) cationic and amphiphilic protein segments with the characteristic periodicity of β-sheets.

Recycling of wastes from fish beneficiation by composting: chemical characteristics of the compost and efficiency of their humic acids in stimulating the growth of lettuce.

Waste from the beneficiation of fish was composted with crushed grass aiming to characterize their chemical composition and investigate the possibility of the use of the final compost as source of humic acids (HA) able to stimulate the growth of lettuce. Compost presented pH value, C/N ratio, and electrical conductivity that allow its use as an organic fertilizer. The element content was present in the following order of abundance in the compost: P > Ca > N > Mg > K > Fe > Zn > Mn > Mo > Cu, and the humus composition was similar to that observed in others kind of organic residues composted.

Purified citritin in combination with vancomycin inhibits VRE in vitro and in vivo.

Gram-positive pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) have been frequently associated with bacterial resistance mechanisms. These mechanisms, in turn, restrict a range of therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of infections caused by these micro-organisms. Faced with this problem, the present study aims to isolate and characterize molecules with antimicrobial activity derived from the fungus Penicillium citrinum isolated from Cerrado soil.

Anti-leukemia activity of semi-synthetic phenolic derivatives from Polygonum limbatum Meisn.

Background: The present report describes the semi-synthesis of a few O-prenylated phenolic derivatives and their in vitro antitumor activities. These compounds were prepared by modifying two naturally occurring antitumor phenols, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(1'-hydroxy-1'-phenyl-methyl)-6-methoxy-chroman-4-one (A) and 2',4'-dihydroxy-3',6'-dimethoxychalcone (B), previously isolated from Polygonum limbatum Meisn. (Polygonaceae).

Phosphatase activity and its relationship with physical and chemical parameters during vermicomposting of filter cake and cattle manure.

Background: Recycling of phosphorus (P) from organic residues (ORs) is important to develop environmentally friendly agriculture. The use of this P source depends on phosphatase enzymes, which can be affected by a chain of parameters during maturation of ORs. In this study the phosphatase activity levels throughout vermicomposting of filter cake (FC) and cattle manure (CM) were correlated with different physical and chemical parameters in an effort to increase the knowledge about recycling of P from ORs.

Complete assignment of NMR data of 22 phenyl-1H-pyrazoles' derivatives.

Complete assignment of (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts and J((1)H/(1)H and (1)H/(19)F) coupling constants for 22 1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles' derivates were performed using the concerted application of (1)H 1D and (1)H, (13)C 2D gs-HSQC and gs-HMBC experiments. All 1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles' derivatives were synthesized as described by Finar and co-workers. The formylated 1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles' derivatives were performed under Duff's conditions.