Structural and vascular assessment of the optic nerve head and macula in chronic Chagas disease.

Chagas disease (CD), a parasitic infection, may have ocular repercussions in its cardiologic form, since a history of heart disease of other etiologies already has been established as a risk factor for neuropathies and maculopathies. The aim of the present study was to investigate preclinical structural and vascular optic nerve head (ONH) and macular parameters in patients with chronic CD. Nineteen patients with CD and 19 healthy subjects were evaluated with optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography, and Laguna ONhE® software.

New manufacturing technology for rumen-protected fat using Apis mellifera beeswax: yield, characterization, and ruminant feeding.

This study aimed to develop, characterize, and validate an encapsulant based on beeswax (BW) for rumen-protected fat (RPF) using the melting emulsification technique. Buriti oil (BO) was used as the core material, and BW was used as the encapsulating material at three different proportions of BW:BO (9:1, 4:1, and 2:1 g/g ratio respectively). RPF microspheres (BWBO9:1, BWBO4:1, and BWBO2:1) were characterized and tested in six 3-year-old castrated male Santa Ines sheep (average body weight of 56.

Geometrically modified bovine pericardium membrane promotes the expression of molecules targeted for a faster integration and vascularization process.

Introduction: In recent years, advancements in technology and the refinement of engineering techniques have facilitated the development of tissue engineering, placing particular emphasis on the use of 3D-biomaterials with several structural and chemical geometric features. In particular, increasing information on biomaterial geometric surfaces has allowed for a better understanding of tissue regenerative processes. In the present study a comparison between BioRipar, bovine pericardium membrane, modified with micrometric roundish regular open pores (BioR-Ps) and BioRipar without pores (BioR-NPs) has been investigated.

Optimization, structural characterization, and biological applications of exopolysaccharide produced by Enterococcus faecium KT990028.

The aim of this study was to select the best exopolysaccharide (EPS) producer among the Enterococcus strains to optimize, characterize, and evaluate its biological properties. Among the eleven strains, Enterococcus faecium KT990028 was selected, and the production conditions were optimized: 16.3 % (w/v) sucrose, 0.

Spatial-temporal analysis of COVID-19 cases in the state of Alagoas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted Brazil, highlighting significant gaps in public health infrastructure. This study aims to analyze the spatial-temporal distribution of COVID-19 cases in Alagoas. The study covers all 102 municipalities in Alagoas, using official data from the Alagoas COVID-19 Panel.