Analysis of Structural Changes of pH-Thermo-Responsive Nanoparticles in Polymeric Hydrogels.

The pH- and thermo-responsive behavior of polymeric hydrogels MC-co-MA have been studied in detail using dynamic light scattering DLS, scanning electron microscopy SEM, nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) and rheology to evaluate the conformational changes, swelling-shrinkage, stability, the ability to flow and the diffusion process of nanoparticles at several temperatures. Furthermore, polymeric systems functionalized with acrylic acid MC and acrylamide MA were subjected to a titration process with a calcium chloride CaCl2 solution to analyze its effect on the average particle diameter Dz, polymer structure and the intra- and intermolecular interactions in order to provide a responsive polymer network that can be used as a possible nanocarrier for drug delivery with several benefits. The results confirmed that the structural changes in the sensitive hydrogels are highly dependent on the corresponding critical solution temperature CST of the carboxylic (-COOH) and amide (-CONH) functional groups and the influence of calcium ions Ca2+ on the formation or breaking of hydrogen bonds, as well as the decrease in electrostatic repulsions generated between the polymer chains contributing to a particle agglomeration phenomenon.

Meat-Borne-Parasite: A Nanopore-Based Meta-Barcoding Work-Flow for Parasitic Microbiodiversity Assessment in the Wild Fauna of French Guiana.

French Guiana, located in the Guiana Shield, is a natural reservoir for many zoonotic pathogens that are of considerable medical or veterinary importance. Until now, there has been limited data available on the description of parasites circulating in this area, especially on protozoan belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa; conversely, the neighbouring countries describe a high parasitic prevalence in animals and humans. Epidemiological surveillance is necessary, as new potentially virulent strains may emerge from these forest ecosystems, such as Amazonian toxoplasmosis.

Influence of income on in-hospital mortality in older adults during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the EDEN-33 study.

Objectives: To determine whether income was associated with unexpected in-hospital mortality in older patients treated in Spanish public health system hospital emergency departments.

Material And Methods: Fifty-one public health system hospital emergency departments in Spain voluntarily participated in the study. Together the hospitals covered 25% of the population aged 65 years or older included in all patient registers during a week in the pre-pandemic period (April 1-7, 2019) and a week during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 30 to April 5, 2020).

Antifungal Activity of Avocado Seed Recombinant GASA/Snakin PaSn.

The avocado fruit () has become a significant fruit in the human diet for its nutritional properties. However, the seed is a source of bioactive molecules and has been poorly utilized. Previously, we reported that the PaSn gene is expressed in the avocado seeds, a cysteine-rich antimicrobial peptide (GASA/Snakin), and demonstrated its antibacterial activity.

Unclassifiable lymphoma in pregnancy.

A 28-year-old woman, 15 weeks pregnant, consulted for cervical ache and left laterocervical mass. Imaging scans revealed a large mediastinal mass that had spread to supraclavicular and left axillar spaces, including cervicobrachial plexus. Pathological anatomy confirmed an unclassifiable lymphoma, with intermediate features between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.