Can Gentisic Acid Serve as a High-Performance Antioxidant with Lower Toxicity for a Promising New Topical Application?

Gentisic acid (2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid) is primarily found naturally in plants and has demonstrated a significant range of biological activities; however, its efficacy and safety as a topical application ingredient are not yet well established. Thus, the compound's potential antioxidant and antimicrobial properties were evaluated for efficacy, while the cytotoxicity was evaluated for safety. The antioxidant activity, measured by the DPPH kinetic method, showed an Efficiency Concentration (EC) of 0.

Endothelium-related biomarkers and cognitive decline in prevalent hemodialysis patients: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Cognitive decline is prevalent in maintenance hemodialysis patients. The blood-brain barrier has been implicated in cognitive decline. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated the associations between endothelium-related biomarkers and steeper cognitive decline in this population.

The Ecosystem as Super-Organ/ism, Revisited: Scaling Hydraulics to Forests under Climate Change.

Classic debates in community ecology focused on the complexities of considering an ecosystem as a super-organ or organism. New consideration of such perspectives could clarify mechanisms underlying the dynamics of forest carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake and water vapor loss, important for predicting and managing the future of Earth's ecosystems and climate system. Here, we provide a rubric for considering ecosystem traits as aggregated, systemic, or emergent, i.

Pinpointing the causal influences of stomatal anatomy and behavior on minimum, operational, and maximum leaf surface conductance.

Leaf surface conductance to water vapor and CO2 across the epidermis (gleaf) strongly determines the rates of gas exchange. Thus, clarifying the drivers of gleaf has important implications for resolving the mechanisms of photosynthetic productivity and leaf and plant responses and tolerance to drought. It is well recognized that gleaf is a function of the conductances of the stomata (gs) and of the epidermis + cuticle (gec).

How and why do species break a developmental trade-off? Elucidating the association of trichomes and stomata across species.

Premise: Previous studies have suggested a trade-off between trichome density (D) and stomatal density (D) due to shared cell precursors. We clarified how, when, and why this developmental trade-off may be overcome across species.

Methods: We derived equations to determine the developmental basis for D and D in trichome and stomatal indices (i and i) and the sizes of epidermal pavement cells (e), trichome bases (t), and stomata (s) and quantified the importance of these determinants of D and D for 78 California species.

Fasting glucose: a cardiometabolic indicator for subclinical atherosclerosis on excess weight adolescents.

Objective: To build a model based on cardiometabolic indicators that allow the identification of overweight adolescents at higher risk of subclinical atherosclerotic disease (SAD).

Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 161 adolescents with a body mass index ≥ +1 z-Score, aged 10 to 19 years. Carotid intima-media complex thickness (IMT) was evaluated using ultrasound to assess subclinical atherosclerotic disease.

Effectiveness of the Therapy Program for Management of Chronic Cough: Preliminary Data From a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the Therapy Program for Management of Chronic Cough (TMCC) in laryngeal sensations and symptoms related to the cough in individuals with chronic refractory cough (CRC).

Method: This research is a randomized double-blind clinical trial (Register Number: RBR-4m6x29). Eleven participants were allocated to two groups by parallel randomization: The Experimental Group-consisting of six individuals who underwent the TMCC; and the Control Group-consisting of five individuals who underwent the Comprehensive Vocal Rehabilitation Program (CVRP).

Dynamics of IgM and IgG responses to the next generation of engineered Duffy binding protein II immunogen: Strain-specific and strain-transcending immune responses over a nine-year period.

Background: A low proportion of P. vivax-exposed individuals acquire protective strain-transcending neutralizing IgG antibodies that are able to block the interaction between the Duffy binding protein II (DBPII) and its erythrocyte-specific invasion receptor. In a recent study, a novel surface-engineered DBPII-based vaccine termed DEKnull-2, whose antibody response target conserved DBPII epitopes, was able to induce broadly binding-inhibitory IgG antibodies (BIAbs) that inhibit P.

Aluminum content and effect of in vitro digestion on bioaccessible fraction in cereal-based baby foods.

The aim of this work was to determine the total concentration and the effect of in vitro digestion on the bioaccessible fraction of aluminum (Al) in 35 different cereal-based baby food samples and estimate the exposure to this element considering the consumption of this product. Total Al content was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry after oxidative microwave digestion. An in vitro digestion method was applied and optimized to evaluate the bioaccessible fraction.

Effects of IgG and IgM autoantibodies on non-infected erythrocytes is related to ABO blood group in Plasmodium vivax malaria and is associated with anemia.

Autoantibodies play an important role in the destruction of non-infected red blood cells (nRBCs) during malaria. However, the relationship between this clearance and ABO blood groups is yet to be fully enlightened, especially for Plasmodium vivax infections. Here we show that anti-RBC IgG and IgM are increased in anemic patients with acute vivax malaria.

Pathologic findings and causes of death in southern right whales Eubalaena australis, Brazil.

Southern right whales Eubalaena australis (SRWs) migrate to southern Brazil for breeding and calving from June through November. Overall, there is scarce knowledge on health status and pathologic conditions in SRWs. We report the pathologic and molecular investigation results of 8 SRWs that were necropsied between 2010 and 2017 within a breeding and calving ground in Santa Catarina state, Brazil.

Sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with dental caries in preschool children: Analysis using a decision tree.

Background: Untreated dental caries can result a negative impact on oral health-related quality of life.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of dental caries and associated factors in children enrolled in public preschools in the city of Recife, Brazil.

Settings And Design: A descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative random sample of 556 children aged 3-5 years.

Vaccination status of people living with HIV/AIDS in outpatient care in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

Antiretroviral therapy has increased the survival of patients with HIV/AIDS, thus necessitating health promotion practice with immunization. Vaccines are critical components for protecting people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The purpose of study was to analyze the vaccination status of PLWHA in outpatient care in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

Anti-erythrocyte antibodies may contribute to anaemia in Plasmodium vivax malaria by decreasing red blood cell deformability and increasing erythrophagocytosis.

Background: Plasmodium vivax accounts for the majority of human malaria infections outside Africa and is being increasingly associated in fatal outcomes with anaemia as one of the major complications. One of the causes of malarial anaemia is the augmented removal of circulating non-infected red blood cells (nRBCs), an issue not yet fully understood. High levels of auto-antibodies against RBCs have been associated with severe anaemia and reduced survival of nRBCs in patients with falciparum malaria.

Cutaneous ectopic schistosomiasis: diagnostic challenge.

Cutaneous schistosomiasis is a rare clinical manifestation of schistosomiasis, an infectious and parasitic disease, caused in Brazil by the trematode Schistosoma mansoni. The lesions are due to the deposition of eggs or, rarely, adult worms, usually involving the genital and groin areas. Extra-genital lesions occur mainly on the torso as papules of zosteriform appearance.

Different mechanisms drive the performance of native and invasive woody species in response to leaf phosphorus supply during periods of drought stress and recovery.

The effects of drought stress and leaf phosphorus (Pi) supply on photosynthetic metabolism in woody tropical species are not known, and given the recent global environmental change models that forecast lower precipitation rates and periods of prolonged drought in tropical areas, this type of study is increasingly important. The effects of controlled drought stress and Pi supply on potted young plants of two woody species, Anadenanthera colubrina (native) and Prosopis juliflora (invasive), were determined by analyzing leaf photosynthetic metabolism, biochemical properties and water potential. In the maximum stress, both species showed higher leaf water potential (Ψl) in the treatment drought +Pi when compared with the respective control -Pi.

Excessive daytime sleepiness in type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To examine excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in type 2 diabetes.

Subjects And Methods: Patients (N = 110) were evaluated regarding Epworth Sleepiness Scale (EDS), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (Berlin questionnaire), and comorbidity severity (Charlson Comorbidity Index). Patients were compared with individuals with arterial hypertension and without diabetes.

Angiotensin receptor blockers for bipolar disorder.

Studies have suggested that the brain renin angiotensin system (RAS) regulates cerebral flow, autonomic and hormonal systems, stress, innate immune response and behavior, being implicated in several brain disorders such as major depression, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The angiotensin II receptor subtype 1 (AT1R) is distributed in brain regions responsible for the control of stress response through peripheral and central sympathetic hyperactivation as well as in the hypothalamic paraventricular region, areas known for the release of several neurotransmitters related to inflammatory response facilitation. This relationship leads to the assumption that AT1R might be the receptor most related to the central deleterious actions of angiotensin II.

Effects of alpha-lipoic acid in an animal model of mania induced by D-amphetamine.

Objectives: Oxidative stress and neurotrophic factors are involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD). Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring compound with strong antioxidant properties. The present study investigated ALA effects in an amphetamine-induced model of mania.

[Pyoderma gangrenosum in an infant: Case report].

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare neutrophilic dermatosis of unknown etiology, characterized by ulcers, especially on the lower limbs. There have only been 13 cases of PG in infants (<12 months old) reported in the past 25 years. We report the case of a 9-month-old child with ulcers on the right leg diagnosed as pyoderma gangrenosum.

Neck circumference, a bedside clinical feature related to mortality of acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical/demographic factors, sleep alterations and one year mortality in acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: This was a prospective study of 89 consecutive patients (mean age 64.39 ± 8.

Risk factors for depressive symptoms in a large population on chronic hemodialysis.

Despite their significant influence on the quality of life, depressive symptoms are not usually included as a clinical parameter in the evaluation of hemodialysis patients. We aimed to identify depressive symptoms and associated risk factors in a large group of individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on chronic hemodialysis. This was a cross-sectional study of 400 consecutive patients.

Quality of sleep and day-time sleepiness in chronic hemodialysis: a study of 400 patients.

Objective: Impaired sleep has potential health consequences in chronic hemodialysis patients. To date, this issue has not been examined in studies involving a large number of subjects. This study aimed to identify factors associated with poor sleep quality and excessive day-time sleepiness (EDS) in dialysis patients.