Free-Ranging Wolves (Canis lupus) are Natural Reservoirs of Intestinal Microeukaryotes of Public Health Significance in Southwestern Europe.

Introduction: Intestinal microeukaryote parasites are major contributors to the burden of diarrhoea in humans and domestic animals, but their epidemiology in wildlife is not fully understood. We investigated the frequency, genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of protists of animal and public health significance in free-ranging grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations in south-western Europe.

Methods: Individually formed faecal samples collected from necropsied wolves or scat trails in Italy (n = 47), Portugal (n = 43) and Spain (n = 225) during the period 2011-2023 were retrospectively analysed using molecular (PCR and Sanger sequencing) methods.

E-selectin affinity glycoproteomics reveals neuroendocrine proteins and the secretin receptor as a poor-prognosis signature in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells express sialylated Lewis antigens (sLe), crucial for metastasis via E-selectin binding. However, these glycoepitopes lack cancer specificity, and E-selectin-targeted glycoproteins remain largely unknown. Here, we established a framework for identifying metastasis-linked glycoproteoforms.

From Waste to Styrene-Butadiene (SBR) Reuse: Developing PP/SBR/SEP Mixtures with Carbon Nanotubes for Antistatic Application.

Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) waste from the shoe industry was repurposed to produce polypropylene (PP)-based compounds, with the aim of evaluating their antistatic potential. Styrene-ethylene-propylene (SEP) was added as a compatibilizing agent, while carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were incorporated as a conductive nanofiller. The polymer compounds were processed in an internal mixer, and injection molded.

Mapping high-risk areas for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria transmission: Linking host space use and environmental contamination.

In many Mediterranean ecosystems, animal tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, an ecovar of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), is maintained by multi-host communities. It is hypothesised that interspecies transmission is mainly indirect via shared contaminated environments. Therefore, identifying spatial areas where MTBC bacteria occur and quantifying space use by susceptible hosts might help predict the spatial likelihood of transmission across the landscape.

Long-term surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in the school community from Campo Grande, Brazil.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted education systems worldwide, with Brazil being one of the countries with the longest school closures. Over a million children and teenagers have been affected, leading to increased hunger and nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to implement long-term surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in public and private schools in Campo Grande, Brazil, after returning to in-person classes.

Stool Glycoproteomics Signatures of Pre-Cancerous Lesions and Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening relies primarily on stool analysis to identify occult blood. However, its sensitivity for detecting precancerous lesions is limited, requiring the development of new tools to improve CRC screening. Carcinogenesis involves significant alterations in mucosal epithelium glycocalyx that decisively contribute to disease progression.

Seroprevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the school community in Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, October 2021-November 2022.

Introduction: With the reopening of schools during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it was imperative to understand the role of students and education professionals in the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, we determined the seroprevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid antibodies in the school community in Campo Grande, the capital and most populous city of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil) and evaluated its association with sex, school level, and school type.

Materials And Methods: The survey was carried out in 20 public and private schools in the urban region of Campo Grande using the TR DPP COVID-19 immunoglobulin M/immunoglobulin G (IgM/IgG) kit from the Immunobiological Technology Institute (Bio-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

Aberrantly Glycosylated GLUT1 as a Poor Prognosis Marker in Aggressive Bladder Cancer.

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains a pressing health concern due to conventional treatment failure and significant molecular heterogeneity, hampering the development of novel targeted therapeutics. In our quest for novel targetable markers, recent glycoproteomics and bioinformatics data have pinpointed (glucose transporter 1) GLUT1 as a potential biomarker due to its increased expression in tumours compared to healthy tissues. This study explores this hypothesis in more detail, with emphasis on GLUT1 glycosylation patterns and cancer specificity.

Targeted and Self-Adjuvated Nanoglycovaccine Candidate for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Advanced-stage solid primary tumors and metastases often express mucin 16 (MUC16), carrying immature glycans such as the Tn antigen, resulting in specific glycoproteoforms not found in healthy human tissues. This presents a valuable approach for designing targeted therapeutics, including cancer glycovaccines, which could potentially promote antigen recognition and foster the immune response to control disease spread and prevent relapse. In this study, we describe an adjuvant-free poly(lactic--glycolic acid) (PLGA)-based nanoglycoantigen delivery approach that outperforms conventional methods by eliminating the need for protein carriers while exhibiting targeted and adjuvant properties.

IncobotulinumtoxinA in refractory temporomandibular disorder due to disk dislocation: A prospective study.

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) may include conditions involving the temporomandibular joint and/or masticatory muscles. Approximately 20 % of patients are refractory to first-line therapies. This study aims to evaluate the effects and safety of incobotulinumtoxinA in the treatment of refractory TMD due to disk dislocation.

Toward Producing Biopolyethylene/Babassu Fiber Biocomposites with Improved Mechanical and Thermomechanical Properties.

The development of polymeric biocomposites containing natural fibers has grown over the years due to the properties achieved and its eco-friendly nature. Thus, biocomposites involving a polymer from a renewable source (Biopolyethylene (BioPE)) and babassu fibers (BFs), compatibilized with polyethylene grafted with maleic anhydride (MA) and acrylic acid (AA) (PE-g-MA and PE-g-AA, respectively) were obtained using melt mixing and injection molded into tensile, impact, and HDT specimens. Babassu fiber was characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

A multivalent CD44 glycoconjugate vaccine candidate for cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer presents a high mortality rate due to ineffective treatments and tumour relapse with progression. Cancer vaccines hold tremendous potential due to their capability to eradicate tumour and prevent relapse. In this study, we present a novel glycovaccine for precise targeting and immunotherapy of aggressive solid tumours that overexpress CD44 standard isoform (CD44s) carrying immature Tn and sialyl-Tn (sTn) O-glycans.

A web-based survey to map the electromyography practice in Brazil.

Background:  Detailed information about the electromyography practice in Brazil is largely unavailable.

Objective:  To evaluate where and how electromyography is performed in Brazil, as well as regional disparities and the professional and academic credentials of electromyographers.

Methods:  We conducted an internet-based survey of active Brazilian electromyographers.

Left Atrial Appendage Autograft for Anomalous Origin of Left Coronary Artery From Pulmonary Artery.

A novel interposition technique is presented in which a pediatric patient underwent reimplantation of the anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery into the aorta by creation of an extension using an autograft of the left atrial appendage. The advantage of this technique is that the autograft remains patent and lies anatomically without tension over the pulmonary artery as demonstrated in the follow-up computed tomography angiogram.

Cardiovascular Prognosis of Subclinical Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) worsens prognosis in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the cardiovascular prognosis in patients with stable or mildly symptomatic COPD remains unclear. Here, we sought to determine the long-term cardiovascular events in patients with subclinical or early-stage COPD with concomitant CAD.

Tailoring PLA/ABS Blends Compatibilized with SEBS-g-MA through Annealing Heat Treatment.

In this work, blends based on poly (lactic acid) (PLA)/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) compatibilized with maleic anhydride-grafted (SEBS-g-MA) were prepared in a co-rotational twin-screw extruder by varying the concentrations of the compatibilizing agent. The influence of the compatibilizing agent on the morphology, mechanical, thermal, thermomechanical, and rheological properties of the prepared materials was analyzed. The effect of annealing on the properties of the blends was also investigated using injection-molded samples.

Tunable Method for the Preparation of Layered Double Hydroxide Nanoparticles and Mesoporous Mixed Metal Oxide Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Preparation of high-performance and durable electrocatalysts for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis is a crucial step toward the broad implementation of this technology. Here, we present an easily tunable, one-step hydrothermal method for the preparation of Ni-based (NiX, X = Co, Fe) layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (LDHNPs) for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), using tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris-NH) for particle growth control. The LDHNPs are used as building blocks of mesoporous mixed metal oxides (MMOs) with a block copolymer template (Pluronic F127), followed by thermal treatment at 250 °C.

Critical Evaluation of Embedding Media for Histological Studies of Early Stages of Chick Embryo Development.

A histological examination is an important tool in embryology, developmental biology, and correlated areas. Despite the amount of information available about tissue embedding and different media, there is a lack of information regarding best practices for embryonic tissues. Embryonic tissues are considered fragile structures, usually small in size, and frequently challenging to position correctly in media for the subsequent histological steps.

Immunomodulatory glycomedicine: Introducing next generation cancer glycovaccines.

Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide due to the lack of safer and more effective therapies. Cancer vaccines developed from neoantigens are an emerging strategy to promote protective and therapeutic anti-cancer immune responses. Advances in glycomics and glycoproteomics have unveiled several cancer-specific glycosignatures, holding tremendous potential to foster effective cancer glycovaccines.

Clinical predictors of potentially impacted canines in low-risk patients: A retrospective study in mixed dentition.

Objective: To evaluate the null hypothesis that there is no difference in a set of clinical predictors of potentially impacted canines between low-risk patients with and without displaced canines.

Methods: The normal canine position group consisted of 30 patients with 60 normally erupting canines ranked in sector I (age, 9.30 ± 0.

Spatial genetic structure of European wild boar, with inferences on late-Pleistocene and Holocene demographic history.

European wildlife has been subjected to intensifying levels of anthropogenic impact throughout the Holocene, yet the main genetic partitioning of many species is thought to still reflect the late-Pleistocene glacial refugia. We analyzed 26,342 nuclear SNPs of 464 wild boar (Sus scrofa) across the European continent to infer demographic history and reassess the genetic consequences of natural and anthropogenic forces. We found that population fragmentation, inbreeding and recent hybridization with domestic pigs have caused the spatial genetic structure to be heterogeneous at the local scale.

Wearable Inertial Sensor Approach for Postural Adjustment Assessments during Predictable Perturbations in Sport.

Introduction: Evidence supports the importance of efficient postural control to improve performance in sports. This involves the use of strategies such as anticipatory posture adjustments and compensatory adjustments. Technology makes analysis and assessments in sports cheaper, while being valid and reliable compared to the gold-standard assessment equipment.

Genetic signature of blind reintroductions of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in Catalonia, Northeast Spain.

The Iberian ibex is one of the most singular species of the Iberian Peninsula. Throughout the years, this species suffered several threats which led the population to its decline. Many reintroductions and translocations were made, however, none of those actions took into account the genetic patterns of both reintroduced individuals and the target populations.

Fabrication, morphological, mechanical and biological performance of 3D printed poly(ϵ-caprolactone)/bioglass composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications.

Several techniques, such as additive manufacturing, have been used for the manufacture of polymer-ceramic composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. A new extruder head recently developed for improving the manufacturing process is an experimental 3D printer Fab@CTI that enables the use of ceramic powders in the processing of composite materials or polymer blends. Still, the manufacturing process needs improvement to promote the dispersion of ceramic particles in the polymer matrix.