Posture and Pain: Beliefs and Attitudes of Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain.

Background And Objectives: Posture is often associated with pain by patients, professionals, and health information channels. However, the extent to which patients perceive the relationship between posture and chronic pain is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate and understand the beliefs and attitudes related to posture among patients with chronic low back pain.

Development, Content Validity and Usability of a Self-Assessment Instrument for the Lifestyle of Breast Cancer Survivors in Brazil.

Background/objectives: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally, and it negatively impacts diet and quality of life, increasing the risk of recurrence. Adhering to World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) lifestyle guidelines, such as healthy eating habits and nutritional status, can help in primary and secondary cancer prevention. However, no questionnaire was found for self-assessment of these guidelines for the Brazilian population.

Antihypertensive effect of a nanoemulsion of leaves extract in sodium-dependent hypertensive rats.

(DC) is an important botanical source of Brazilian green propolis and have many compounds with potential antihypertensive activity. However, little is known about the specific antihypertensive properties of DC, or the mechanisms involved. Here we aimed to chemically characterise an ethanolic DC extract (eDC), test its antihypertensive properties and the involvement of neurogenic mechanisms using an animal model of salt-dependent hypertension.

Ceftazidime and Usnic Acid Encapsulated in Chitosan-Coated Liposomes for Oral Administration against Colorectal Cancer-Inducing .

has been associated with the induction of colorectal cancer (CRC). Thus, combined therapy incorporating usnic acid (UA) and antibiotics such as ceftazidime (CAZ), co-encapsulated in liposomes, could be an alternative. Coating the liposomes with chitosan (Chi) could facilitate the oral administration of this nanocarrier.

Synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles by double emulsion and pH-driven: encapsulation of antibiotics and natural products for combating Escherichia coli infections.

The design, development, and obtaining of nanostructured materials, such as polymeric nanoparticles, have garnered interest due to loading therapeutic agents and its broad applicability. Polymeric nanoparticle synthesis employs advanced techniques such as the double emulsion approach and the pH-driven method, allowing the efficient incorporation of active compounds into these matrices. These loading methods ensure compound stability within the polymeric structure and enable control of the release of therapeutic agents.

Advances in porphyrins and chlorins associated with polysaccharides and polysaccharides-based materials for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications.

Over the last decade, the convergence of advanced materials and innovative applications has fostered notable scientific progress within the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields. Porphyrins and their derivatives, distinguished by an extended conjugated π-electron system, have a relevant role in propelling these advancements, especially in drug delivery systems, photodynamic therapy, wound healing, and (bio)sensing. However, despite their promise, the practical clinical application of these macrocycles is hindered by their inherent challenges of low solubility and instability under physiological conditions.

Antimicrobial activity of geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) essential oil and its encapsulation in carioca bean starch ultrafine fibers by electrospinning.

Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is known for being an aromatic plant rich in bioactive compounds with antibacterial properties. In this study, geranium essential oil (GEO) was extracted and encapsulated in ultrafine bean starch fibers produced by electrospinning as an antibacterial agent. GEO revealed a composition rich in volatile compounds, including citronellol, cis-geraniol, β-linalool, citronellyl formate, and linalool formate.

New artificial hematophagy system with attractive polymeric biofilm for maintenance of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the laboratory.

Background: Maintaining mosquito colonies in the laboratory requires a blood supply so that females' oocytes can mature and oviposition can take place. In this study, a new artificial hematophagy system for colonization and maintenance of Culex quinquefasciatus in the laboratory was developed and tested.

Methods: We developed an attractive polymeric biofilm including 25% L-lactic acid for use as a membrane in an artificial hematophagy system and compared the feeding rate of females with Parafilm-M.

Cannabidiol-loaded microparticles embedded in a porous hydrogel matrix for biomedical applications.

In this study, poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles loaded with cannabidiol (CBD) were synthesized (PLGA@CBD microparticles) and embedded up to 10 wt% in a chondroitin sulfate/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel matrix. In vitro chemical, physical, and biological assays were carried out to validate the potential use of the modified hydrogels as biomaterials. The microparticles had spherical morphology and a narrow range of size distribution.

rGO outperforms GO in generating oxidative stress and DNA strand breaks in zebrafish liver cells.

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are both widely applicable and there is a massive production throughout the world which imply in inevitable contamination in the aquatic environment by their wastes. Nevertheless, information about their interaction at the cellular level in fish is still scarce. We investigated the metabolic activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, responses of antioxidant defenses, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as well as oxidative stress and DNA integrity in zebrafish liver cells (ZFL) exposed to (0.

First putative occurrence in the fossil record of choanoflagellates, the sister group of Metazoa.

Choanoflagellates are microeukaryotes that inhabit freshwater and marine environments and have long been regarded as the closest living relatives of Metazoa. Knowledge on the evolution of choanoflagellates is key for the understanding of the ancestry of animals, and although molecular clock evidence suggests the appearance of choanoflagellates by late Neoproterozoic, no specimens of choanoflagellates are known to occur in the fossil record. Here the first putative occurrence of choanoflagellates in sediments from the Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Turonian) is described by means of several cutting-edge petrographic techniques, and a discussion of its paleoenvironmental significance is performed.

Effects of Psidium guajava L. leaves extract on blood pressure control and IL-10 production in salt-dependent hypertensive rats.

Psidium guajava (guava) leaves extract displays anti-hypertensive properties by mechanisms not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated whether sympathetic drive and immune signaling mechanisms are involved with the antihypertensive effect of the guava extract in a model of salt-dependent hypertension. Raw guava extract (rPsE) was characterized by colorimetric and UPLC-MS techniques.

Concentration- and time-dependence toxicity of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanosheets upon zebrafish liver cell line.

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are carbon-based nanomaterials that have a wide range of applicability. Therefore, it is expected that their residual traces reach the aquatic environment, accumulate, and interact with its different compartments and the biota living in them. The concentration- and time-dependency response to GO and rGO in aquatic organisms are still poorly known.

Nanotechnology and tuberculosis: An old disease with new treatment strategies.

Tuberculosis is an intracellular infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which mainly affects the lungs. Especially in patients infected by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or other immunosuppressed patients, tuberculosis is considered one of the infectious diseases with higher morbidity and mortality rates. Despite considerable improvements in diagnosis and treatment during the last decades, the drugs currently used in tuberculosis treatment still have limitations, such as low plasma levels after oral administration, low solubility in water, fast metabolization by the liver with a short 1/2 life and low patient adherence to treatment.

Panorama of Bacterial Infections Caused by Epidemic Resistant Strains.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a critical obstacle to public health worldwide, due to the high incidence of strains resistant to available antibiotic therapies. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of resistant epidemic strains, associated with this, public health authorities have been alarmed about a possible scenario of uncontrolled dissemination of these microorganisms and the difficulty in interrupting their transmission, as nosocomial pathogens with resistance profiles previously considered sporadic. They become frequent bacteria in the community.

Strategies for the treatment of colorectal cancer caused by gut microbiota.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also named as colon and rectal or bowel cancer, is one of the leading neoplasia diagnosed in the world. Genetic sequencing studies of microorganisms from the intestinal microbiota of patients with CRC revealed that changes in its composition occur with the development of the disease, which can play a fundamental role in its development, being mediated by the production of metabolites and toxins that damage enterocytes. Some microorganisms are frequently reported in the literature as the main agents of this process, such as the bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum, Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis.

Aerobic exercise training prevents impairment in renal parameters and in body composition of rats fed a high sucrose diet.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of swimming training (T) on the renal system and body composition parameters in young animals treated with a high sucrose diet (SUD) during 12 weeks.

Results: The SUD impaired the physical performance, increased the body adiposity index (BAI), Lee index (LI) and retroperitoneal adipose tissue (RAT) weight, plasma creatinine and number renal cells nuclei, decreased urinary volume and urinary creatinine excretion besides creatinine clearance. The T reversed the increased the BAI, LI, RAT weight, plasma and urinary creatinine, creatinine clearance and number renal cells nuclei in addition to promoting decrease in urinary protein excretion.

Female students are the most psychologically affected by the COVID-19 outbreak: a case study in an academic community in Brazil.

Objective: The study evaluates psychological responses to the COVID-19 outbreak in the students, professors, and staff due to the social distancing and transition of the classroom activities through online learning.

Methods: 518 participants from a University community in Brazil answered an online survey with questions related to demographic data, psychological responses, and preventive measures. Absolute and relative frequencies described the sample, Chi-square and z-test tested associations between the variables, adopting p<0.

Biological Performance of Alginate Hydrogel Capsules for Stem Cell Delivery.

Encapsulation of biological components in hydrogels is a well described method for controlled drug delivery of proteins, tissue engineering and intestinal colonization with beneficial bacteria. Given the potential of tissue engineering in clinical practice, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of encapsulation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of mules in sodium alginate. We evaluated capsule morphology and cell viability, immunophenotype and release after encapsulation.

Judicialization of coagulation factors in severe hemophilia: compliance with the care protocol and associated factors Judicialization and severe hemophilia.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the compliance with the assistance protocol and factors associated with the judicialization of coagulation factors in severe hemophilia patients.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2015 to May 2016 in adults with severe hemophilia in the Federal District, Brazil using data from their medical records and the Hemovida Web Coagulopathies System.

Results: One-hundred and three patients from Federal District, the capital of Brazil, were included in the study.

Magnetic microspheres based on pectin coated by chitosan towards smart drug release.

This study reports the preparation of microspheres of pectin and magnetite nanoparticles coated by chitosan to encapsulate and deliver drugs. Magnetic-pectin microspheres were obtained by ionotropic gelation followed by polyelectrolyte complexation with chitosan. Characterization data show that magnetite changes the physicochemical and morphological properties of the microspheres compared to the non-magnetic samples.

Toxicity of gold nanorods on Ceriodaphnia dubia and Danio rerio after sub-lethal exposure and recovery.

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are rod-shaped nanoparticles (NPs) with special optical properties that allow their application in several areas including photothermal therapy, diagnosis, drug and gene delivery, cellular imaging, and biosensors. Their high potential for many applications increases the possibility of release in aquatic environments, which can cause risks to organisms. In this study, we evaluated toxic effects of AuNRs on cladoceran and fish (Ceriodaphnia dubia and Danio rerio) and their recovery after post-exposure periods.

Swimming training improves cardiovascular autonomic dysfunctions and prevents renal damage in rats fed a high-sodium diet from weaning.

New Findings: What is the central question of this study? How does swimming exercise training impact hydro-electrolytic balance, renal function, sympathetic contribution to resting blood pressure and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) [Na ] in rats fed a high-sodium diet from weaning? What is the main finding and its importance? An exercise-dependent reduction in blood pressure was associated with decreased CSF [Na ], sympathetically driven vasomotor tonus and renal fibrosis indicating that the anti-hypertensive effects of swimming training in rats fed a high-sodium diet might involve neurogenic mechanisms regulated by sodium levels in the CSF rather than changes in blood volume.

Abstract: High sodium intake is an important factor associated with hypertension. High-sodium intake with exercise training can modify homeostatic hydro-electrolytic balance, but the effects of this association are mostly unknown.