Elastin-like Recombinamers as a Biotechnological Platform for the Development of Cytokine-Functionalized Materials.

Oncostatin M (OSM) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are pleiotropic cytokines from the interkeukine-6 family, associated with several disorders, and present significant potential in biomedicine. However, their therapeutic use is highly constrained by factors such as short circulating half-life and narrow therapeutic window. The conjugation of cytokines with elastin-like recombinamers (ELR) holds the potential to circumvent these limitations due to the ability of self-assembling upon a thermal stimulus, remarkable biocompatibility, and ease of processing.

Eddy Current-Based Delamination Imaging in CFRP Using Erosion and Thresholding Approaches.

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a composite material known for its high strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness, and corrosion and fatigue resistance, making it suitable for its use in structural components. However, CFRP can be subject to various types of damage, such as delamination, matrix cracking, or fiber breakage, requiring nondestructive evaluation to ensure structural integrity. In this context, damage imaging algorithms are important for assessing the condition of this material.

Development and Evaluation of Microencapsulated Oregano Essential Oil as an Alternative Treatment for Infections.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is characterized as a very common fungal infection that significantly affects women's health worldwide. Essential oils (EOs) are currently being evaluated as an alternative therapy. The development of efficient techniques such as micro- or nanoencapsulation for protecting and controlling release is essential to overcome the limitations of EO applications.

Sodium alginate-based multifunctional sandwich-like system for treating wound infections.

Microbial colonization and development of infections in wounds is a sign of chronicity. The prevailing approach to manage and treat these wounds involves dressings. However, these often fail in effectively addressing infections, as they struggle to both absorb exudates and maintain optimal local moisture.

Classification of Corrosion Severity in SPCC Steels Using Eddy Current Testing and Supervised Machine Learning Models.

Steel Plate Cold-Rolled Commercial (SPCC) steel is known to have long-term durability. However, it still undergoes corrosion when exposed to corrosive environments. This paper proposes an evaluation method for assessing the corrosion level of SPCC steel samples using eddy current testing (ECT), along with two different machine learning approaches.

An Unusual Coexistence: Right-Sided Colon Cancer and Intestinal Malrotation in an Adult.

Intestinal malrotation (IM), a rare congenital anomaly disrupting typical embryonic rotation around the superior mesenteric artery, is exceptionally uncommon in adults, with its link to colon cancer being even rarer. This article presents a case of colonic cancer in conjunction with IM in a 63-year-old male. Image studies and intraoperative findings show signs of IM.

Adhesive Porosity Analysis of Composite Adhesive Joints Using Ultrasonic Guided Waves.

Adhesively bonded composite joints can develop voids and porosity during fabrication, leading to stress concentration and a reduced load-carrying capacity. Hence, adhesive porosity analysis during the fabrication is crucial to ensure the required quality and reliability. Ultrasonic-guided wave (UGW)-based techniques without advanced signal processing often provide low-resolution imaging and can be ineffective for detecting small-size defects.

Baseline-Free Damage Imaging of Composite Lap Joint via Parallel Array of Piezoelectric Sensors.

This paper presents a baseline-free damage imaging technique using a parallel array of piezoelectric sensors and a control board that facilitates custom combinations of sensor selection. This technique incorporates an imaging algorithm that uses parallel beams for generation and reception of ultrasonic guided waves in a pitch-catch configuration. A baseline-free reconstruction algorithm for probabilistic inspection of defects (RAPID) algorithm is adopted.

Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Enriched Hydrogels for Skin Topical Administration of Quercetin and Omega-3 Fatty Acid.

Chronic skin exposure to external hostile agents (e.g., UV radiation, microorganisms, and oxidizing chemicals) may increase oxidative stress, causing skin damage and aging.

Research Note: Nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility determination of high-protein dried distiller's grains and corn bran with solubles for broilers.

Metabolism and digestibility trials were performed on broiler chickens to determine 1) nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) using total excreta collection and 2) standardized ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAAD) using the ileal digesta collection from high-protein dried distillers' grains (HP-DDG) and corn bran with solubles (CBS). The results of the metabolism trial indicated that AMEn values for HP-DDG and CBS were 3,334 kcal/kg and 2,083 kcal/kg on dry matter (DM) basis, respectively. Concerning the HP-DDG, the digestibility trial resulted in the following SIAAD values and digestible concentrations, respectively: 80.

Starch-based films doped with porphyrinoid photosensitizers for active skin wound healing.

Starch is a biodegradable and biocompatible carbohydrate that, when combined with bioactive molecules, can be processed as biomimetic platforms with enhanced performance, allowing its use as active wound dressing materials. Porphyrinoid photosensitizers can tune the physicochemical/functional profile of biomacromolecules, allowing their use in anti-infective strategies. In this work, the feasibility of using the cationic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin tetraiodide (TMPyP) to enhance the physicochemical, mechanical, antimicrobial performance, and wound healing ability of casted starch-based films was studied.

Research Note: The influence of different isoleucine: lysine ratios on the growth performance of broiler chickens fed low-protein diets.

Two trials were carried out to assess the effects of different ratios of standardized ileal digestible isoleucine:lysine (SID Ile:Lys) on the growth performance of broiler chickens fed low-protein diets. A total of 1,320 male chickens were distributed in each trial into 6 treatments, with 10 replicates with 22 birds each. A control diet was formulated that satisfied the nutritional requirements of the broilers, and a low-protein diet was formulated with reduced protein content, meeting broiler nutritional requirements, except for the SID Ile levels.

Therapeutic Textiles Functionalized with Keratin-Based Particles Encapsulating Terbinafine for the Treatment of Onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis is the most common nail fungal infection worldwide. There are several therapy options available for onychomycosis, such as oral antifungals, topicals, and physical treatments. Terbinafine is in the frontline for the treatment of onychomycosis; however, several adverse effects are associated to its oral administration.

Locating and Imaging Fiber Breaks in CFRP Using Guided Wave Tomography and Eddy Current Testing.

In this paper, guided Lamb wave tomography and eddy current testing (ECT) techniques were combined to locate and evaluate fiber breaks in carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) structures. Guided wave testing (GWT) and computed tomography (CT) imaging were employed to quickly locate fiber breaks in the CFRP plate. From B-scans performed along two different fiber orientations (0 and 90 degrees), parallel-beam projections of different features were extracted from the guided wave signals, using signal-processing techniques (such as wavelet and Hilbert transforms) and statistical functions (such as skewness and kurtosis).

Handlebar hernia-unusual complication from blunt trauma.

Handlebar hernia is a rare entity, mainly resulting from blunt abdominal trauma with a sudden deceleration mechanism. Diagnosis of handlebar at admission may be difficult because the rupture of abdominal wall layers often is not clinically recognized in the emergency department, which requires a high degree of suspicion to identify theses lesions. It is very important to rule out the presence of intra-abdominal injuries, and in adults, surgical repair is needed.

Development of Capacitive-Type Sensors by Electrochemical Anodization: Humidity and Touch Sensing Applications.

This work describes the development of a capacitive-type sensor created from nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide (NP-AAO) prepared by the one-step anodization method conducted in potentiostatic mode and performed in a low-cost homemade system. A series of samples were prepared via an anodization campaign carried out on different acid electrolytes, in which the anodization parameters were adjusted to investigate the effect of pore size and porosity on the capacitive sensing performance. Two sensor test cases are investigated.

Biotechnology of functional proteins and peptides for hair cosmetic formulations.

Cosmetics procedures and products combined with environmental insults and daily routines induce irreversible changes in hair. As result of damage, the hair loses some of its properties like strength, elasticity, and smoothness. Recent studies revealed the positive effects of protein-based cosmetics in providing protection to hair.

Absence of Light Exposure Increases Pathogenicity of Pneumonia-Associated Clinical Isolates.

can alter its lifestyle in response to changes in environmental conditions. The switch to a pathogenic host-associated lifestyle can be triggered by the luminosity settings, resorting to at least one photoreceptor which senses light and regulates cellular processes. This study aimed to address how light exposure affects the dynamic and adaptability of two pneumonia-associated isolates, HB13 and HB15.

Omega-3- and Resveratrol-Loaded Lipid Nanosystems for Potential Use as Topical Formulations in Autoimmune, Inflammatory, and Cancerous Skin Diseases.

Resveratrol (RSV) and omega 3 (ω), because of their biological favorable properties, have become subjects of interest for researchers in dermocosmetic and pharmaceutical industries; however, these bioactives present technological limitations that hinder their effective delivery to the target skin layer. To overcome the stability and skin permeation limitations of free bioactives, this work proposes a combined strategy involving two different lipid nanosystems (liposomes and lipid nanoparticles) that include ω in their lipid matrix. Additionaly, RSV is only encapsulated in liposomes that provid an adequate amphiphilic environment.

Ohmic heating as a new tool for protein scaffold engineering.

Ohmic heating (OH) is recognised as an emerging processing technology which recently is gaining increasing attention due to its ability to induce and control protein functionality. In this study, OH was used for the first time in the production of scaffolds for tissue engineering. BSA/casein solutions were processed by OH, promoting protein denaturation and aggregation, followed by cold-gelation through the addition of Ca.

Biotechnological applications of mammalian odorant-binding proteins.

The olfactory system of mammals allows the detection and discrimination of thousands of odors from the environment. In mammals, odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are considered responsible to carry odorant molecules across the aqueous nasal mucus to the olfactory receptors (ORs). The three-dimensional structure of these proteins presents eight antiparallel β-sheets and a short α-helical segment close to the C terminus, typical of the lipocalins family.

Antimicrobial Properties of Composites of Chitosan-Silver Doped Zeolites.

The antimicrobial functionality of composites constituted by chitosan with silver-doped zeolites was developed and characterized. A composite with chitosan particles and silver-doped zeolites was synthesized using an ionic gelation process with sodium tripolyphosphate. The chitosan silver-doped zeolites composite obtained presented sizes up to 5 m, while the silver-doped zeolites had an average size between 0.

Ohmic heating as an innovative approach for the production of keratin films.

Ohmic heating is a thermal processing method based on the application of electric fields directly into a semi-conductive medium. In this study, we explored for the first time the use of ohmic heating to obtain keratin films. The properties of the films prepared by ohmic heating and conventional heating were evaluated and compared under similar thermal profiles.

SGLT-2 inhibitors in diabetes: a focus on renoprotection.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an important public health problem, with a significant impact on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and an important risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Various hypoglycemic therapies have proved to be beneficial to clinical outcomes, while others have failed to provide an improvement in cardiovascular and renal failure, only reducing blood glucose levels. Recently, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, represented by the empagliflozin, dapagliflozin, and canagliflozin, have been showing satisfactory and strong results in several clinical trials, especially regarding the reduction of cardiovascular mortality, reduction of hospitalization due to heart failure, reduction of albuminuria, and long-term maintenance of the glomerular filtration rate.

Polymeric Electrospun Fibrous Dressings for Topical Co-delivery of Acyclovir and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Herpetic infections caused by Herpes simplex virus (HSV) are among the most common human infections, affecting more than two quarters of the world's population. The standard treatment for orofacial herpes is the administration of antiviral drugs, mainly acyclovir (ACV). However, current products are mostly based on semisolid formulations that have limited ability to promote drug skin penetration and tend to leak from the application site, thus showing reduced ability to sustain local drug residence.