Effect of Sand Addition on Laterite Soil Stabilization.

Lateritic soils, particularly abundant in tropical regions, have been successfully used in the construction of unbound layers of flexible pavements in Brazil since the 1970s. Despite their potential, these soils are often discarded or only recommended after stabilization processes, based on traditional parameters such as gradation requirements and Atterberg limits. This study investigates the mechanical characteristics of a lateritic soil from Roraima, focusing on its resilient modulus and permanent deformation properties, assessed through repeated load triaxial tests.

Structural, Magnetic, and Dielectric Properties of Laser-Ablated CoFeO/BaTiO Bilayers Deposited over Highly Doped Si(100).

Laser ablation was used to successfully fabricate multiferroic bilayer thin films, composed of BaTiO (BTO) and CoFeO (CFO), on highly doped (100) Si substrates. This study investigates the influence of BaTiO layer thickness (50-220 nm) on the films' structural, magnetic, and dielectric properties. The dense, polycrystalline films exhibited a tetragonal BaTiO phase and a cubic spinel CoFeO layer.

Versican Proteolysis by ADAMTS: Understanding Versikine Expression in Canine Spontaneous Mammary Carcinomas.

The present study investigates VKINE, a bioactive proteolytic fragment of the proteoglycan VCAN, as a novel and significant element in the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). Although VKINE has been recognized for its immunomodulatory potential in certain tumor types, its impact on ECM degradation and prognostic implications remains poorly understood. : This study aimed to evaluate VCAN proteolysis and its association with ADAMTS enzymes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling in spontaneous canine mammary gland cancer.

CIDACS' efforts towards an inclusive and dialogic data governance in Brazil: a focused literature review.

The Centre for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health's (CIDACS) data governance efforts have primarily focused on legal, technical and operational procedures to provide high-quality linked administrative data for investigations on social determinants of health and the impact of social protection policies in low-income and vulnerable populations throughout Brazil. The Centre is moving towards an updated data governance model that incorporates the participation of, and consultation and dialogue with, data stakeholders, including groups covered by our linked data. To this end, this paper presents our procedures and challenges, outlining relevant considerations based on a focused literature review that aims to support the inclusion of societal participation in our revised data governance approach, which should be considered an ongoing process.

Nucleotide Transformer: building and evaluating robust foundation models for human genomics.

The prediction of molecular phenotypes from DNA sequences remains a longstanding challenge in genomics, often driven by limited annotated data and the inability to transfer learnings between tasks. Here, we present an extensive study of foundation models pre-trained on DNA sequences, named Nucleotide Transformer, ranging from 50 million up to 2.5 billion parameters and integrating information from 3,202 human genomes and 850 genomes from diverse species.

Humoral Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Boost in Cancer Patients: A Case Series from a Southern European Cancer Center.

Background: Cancer patients face a greater risk of complications and death after contracting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were suggested to provide additional protection. This study aimed to assess how cancer patients' immune systems respond to the booster shots and categorize their responses.

Association of RS1126478 (LTF) with molar-incisor and generalized periodontitis.

Objectives: LTF SNP rs1126478 (T>C) could modulate Lactoferrin function and release and has been associated with periodontal disease in different locations before, but not in America. Thus, this study aimed to assess the association between this SNP and Grade C Periodontitis (Generalized (PerioC-G) and Molar Incisor Pattern (PerioC-MIP)) and seek a relationship between its presence and LTF gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) production.

Material And Methods: Oral cells from 361 Brazilians and 375 North Americans patients (Diseased and Health Controls (PH) from both locations) were collected.

Top 10+1 indicators for assessing forest ecosystem conditions: A five-decade fragmentation analysis.

Globally, land use change has consistently resulted in greater losses than gains in aboveground biomass (AGB). Forest fragmentation is a primary driver of biodiversity loss and the depletion of natural capital. Measuring landscape characteristics and analyzing changes in forest landscape patterns are essential for accounting for the contributions of forest ecosystems to the economy and human well-being.

Electrospun Nanofiber Dopped with TiO and Carbon Quantum Dots for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Antibiotics.

Novel photocatalysts were synthesized through the association of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with commercial (P25) titanium dioxide (TiO) by sonication. The resulting TiO/CQDs composite was then incorporated into the polyamide 66 (PA66) biopolymer nanofibers using the electrospinning technique, considering a composite nanoparticles-to-polymer ratio of 1:2 in the electrospinning precursor solution. The produced nanofibers presented suitable morphology and were tested for the photocatalytic degradation under simulated solar radiation of 10 mg L of amoxicillin (AMX) and sulfadiazine (SDZ), in phosphate buffer solution (pH 8.

Bone regeneration by a bone substitute biomaterial containing hydroxyapatite, chitosan, xanthan and graphene oxide supplemented with conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells.

This study analyzed a recently developed bone substitute biomaterial made of chitosan-xanthanhydroxyapatite-graphene oxide (CXHAG). The CXHAG particles underwent in vitro structural and morphological characterization, and in vivo testing with or without osteogenic conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether the CXHAG novel biomaterial, supplemented with conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells, could be useful for bone regeneration.

Intra-Abdominal Candidiasis in Cancer Patients: A 10-Year Experience in a Middle-Income Country.

Background: Invasive candidiasis (IC) represents a significant threat to both mortality and morbidity, especially among vulnerable populations. Intra-abdominal candidiasis (IAC) frequently occurs in critically ill and cancer patients, with these specific groups carrying a heightened risk for such invasive fungal infections. Despite this, there is a noticeable lack of attention to IAC in cancer patients within the literature, highlighting a critical gap that requires urgent consideration.

Eosinophil and B cell dynamics in the milky spots from Schistosoma mansoni-infected mice - Comparison with spleen and bone marrow, and extramedullary eosinopoiesis.

The milky spots are structures found in the omentum of humans and other vertebrates, representing a fraction of the lymphomyeloid tissue associated with the celom. They majorly consist of B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and macrophages. Also found in smaller quantities are mesothelial, stromal, dendritic, and rare mast cells.

Feasibility of telehealth exercise and nicotinamide riboside supplementation in survivors of childhood cancer at risk for diabetes: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) have a 50% higher risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) compared with the general population. Interventions in survivors with prediabetes (fasting glucose 100-125 mg/dL or hemoglobin A1c 5.7%-6.

Developmental and housekeeping transcriptional programs display distinct modes of enhancer-enhancer cooperativity in Drosophila.

Genomic enhancers are key transcriptional regulators which, upon the binding of sequence-specific transcription factors, activate their cognate target promoters. Although enhancers have been extensively studied in isolation, a substantial number of genes have more than one simultaneously active enhancer, and it remains unclear how these cooperate to regulate transcription. Using Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells as a model, we assay the activities of more than a thousand individual enhancers and about a million enhancer pairs toward housekeeping and developmental core promoters with STARR-seq.

Comparative study of non-suppurative meningoencephalitis in cattle in Southern Brazil.

Viral neurologic diseases are common in cattle, although most non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (NSM) remains etiologically unknown. We compared the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological data among 79 cases of rabies, 12 cases of NSM of unknown etiology (NSM-UE), and 8 cases of herpetic meningoencephalitis previously diagnosed in cattle in Southern Brazil. Neurological clinical signs were similar among rabies and NSM-UE and different in cattle with herpetic meningoencephalitis.

A catalog of small proteins from the global microbiome.

Small open reading frames (smORFs) shorter than 100 codons are widespread and perform essential roles in microorganisms, where they encode proteins active in several cell functions, including signal pathways, stress response, and antibacterial activities. However, the ecology, distribution and role of small proteins in the global microbiome remain unknown. Here, we construct a global microbial smORFs catalog (GMSC) derived from 63,410 publicly available metagenomes across 75 distinct habitats and 87,920 high-quality isolate genomes.

Are genomic language models all you need? Exploring genomic language models on protein downstream tasks.

Motivation: Large language models, trained on enormous corpora of biological sequences, are state-of-the-art for downstream genomic and proteomic tasks. Since the genome contains the information to encode all proteins, genomic language models (gLMs) hold the potential to make downstream predictions not only about DNA sequences, but also about proteins. However, the performance of gLMs on protein tasks remains unknown, due to few tasks pairing proteins with the coding DNA sequences (CDS) that can be processed by gLMs.

Plasma EV-miRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of COVID-19 Vaccine Immune Response in Cancer Patients.

Cancer patients, prone to severe COVID-19, face immune challenges due to their disease and treatments. Identifying biomarkers, particularly extracellular vesicle (EV)-derived microRNAs (miRNAs), is vital for comprehending their response to COVID-19 vaccination. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate specific EV-miRNAs in the plasma of cancer patients under active treatment who received the COVID-19 booster vaccine.

Methods to achieve tissue-mimetic physicochemical properties in hydrogels for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Hydrogels are water-swollen polymeric matrices with properties that are remarkably similar in function to the extracellular matrix. For example, the polymer matrix provides structural support and adhesion sites for cells in much of the same way as the fibers of the extracellular matrix. In addition, depending on the polymer used, bioactive sites on the polymer may provide signals to initiate certain cell behavior.

New records of helminth infections in Bothrops atrox Linnaeus, 1758 from Marajó Island-Brazil and a literature review with a check list of helminths infecting Bothrops species (Squamata, Viperidae) in the neotropical region.

Snakes of the genus Bothrops inhabit tropical forests in Central and South America and are important for the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries because of the chemical properties of their venom. They serve as either definitive or intermediate hosts for many parasitic helminths. The Marajó Island (Brazil) is the natural habitat of venomous snakes, Bothrops atrox and Bothrops marajoensis, which are often found around rural and peri-urban areas and are known to bite humans.