Recent Advances on Starch-Based Adsorbents for Heavy Metal and Emerging Pollutant Remediation.

Starch is one of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature and has a high potential for application in several fields, including effluent treatment as an adsorbent. Starch has a unique structure, with zones of different crystallinity and a glycosidic structure containing hydroxyl groups. This configuration allows a wide range of interactions with pollutants of different degrees of hydrophilicity, which includes from hydrogen bonding to hydrophobic interactions.

Structure-function mapping and mechanistic insights on the SARS CoV2 Nsp1.

Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1) is a key component of the infectious process caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Our previous data demonstrated that Nsp1 can degrade both RNA and DNA in the absence of the ribosome, a process dependent on the metal ions Mn, Ca, or Mg (Salgueiro et al., SARS-CoV2 Nsp1 is a metal-dependent DNA and RNA endonuclease.

Assessing interactions between antibiotics and triazine porous organic polymeric sorbents by photophysics.

This study purposes three triazine-based porous organic polymers (T-POPs 1-3) as advanced platforms for the early detection of antibiotic-polluted environments and effective water decontamination, in order to mitigate water pollution and antimicrobial resistance, which are two huge current problems damaging ecosystems and human health. T-POPs exhibited good performances as adsorbents for the removal of sulfamethazine (SMT) and tetracycline (TC) from water, with efficiencies up to 97% and 96%, and maximum adsorption capacities between (0.36-0.

Acoustic and Clinical Data Analysis of Vocal Recordings: Pandemic Insights and Lessons.

The interest in processing human speech and other human-generated audio signals as a diagnostic tool has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project OSCAR (vOice Screening of CoronA viRus) aimed to develop an algorithm to screen for COVID-19 using a dataset of Portuguese participants with voice recordings and clinical data. This cross-sectional study aimed to characterise the pattern of sounds produced by the vocal apparatus in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection documented by a positive RT-PCR test, and to develop and validate a screening algorithm.

Influence of iron deficiency definition on the efficacy of intravenous iron in heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Intravenous iron improves symptoms in heart failure (HF) with iron deficiency (ID) but failed to consistently show a benefit in cardiovascular outcomes. The ID definition used may influence the response to intravenous iron. The aim of this meta-analysis is to assess the influence of ID definition on the intravenous iron effect in HF.

COTIDIANA Dataset - Smartphone-Collected Data on the Mobility, Finger Dexterity, and Mental Health of People With Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.

Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) are very common and can negatively impact patients' quality of life. The current care of patients with RMDs is episodic, based on a few yearly doctor visits, which may not provide an adequate picture of the patient's condition. Researchers have hypothesized that RMDs could be passively monitored using smartphones or sensors, however, there are no datasets to support this development.

Effects of Intranasal Naloxone on Hypoglycemia-associated Autonomic Failure in Susceptible Individuals.

Context: Hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF), defined as blunting of counterregulatory hormone and symptom responses to recurrent hypoglycemia, remains a therapeutic challenge in diabetes treatment. The opioid system may play a role in HAAF pathogenesis since activation of opioid receptors induces HAAF. Blockade of opioid receptors with intravenous naloxone ameliorates HAAF experimentally yet is not feasible therapeutically.

How are agitated patients dealt with in internal medicine departments?

Background: Studies on agitation in internal medicine departments are scarce, especially regarding how doctors and nurses act in these situations. The objective of this study was to clarify how agitation is dealt with in these departments.

Methods: This prospective observational study was performed in the internal medicine departments of four Portuguese hospitals.

Office- versus home-based evaluation of quality of life in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: A randomized study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) patients often experience poor health-related quality-of-life (HR-QoL). The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is frequently used for assessing HR-QoL in HF. Whether KCCQ scores vary in a clinical meaningful manner according to the setting (home vs office) where patients respond to the questionnaire is currently unknown.

Deciphering Stereoselectivity in Hurd-Claisen Rearrangements: A Comprehensive Study of Electrostatic Interactions from Shubin's Energy Decomposition Analysis.

In this study, we explore the stereoselectivity of Hurd-Claisen Rearrangements, focusing on the influence of two electron-withdrawing groups and eight diverse substituents. Utilizing the Curtin-Hammett principle, we performed energy calculations for reactions, products, and transition states using the M062X/def2TZVPP compound model. Our analysis reveals that kinetic factors predominantly dictate the reaction equilibrium.

Transitioning to peritoneal dialysis: it does not matter where you come from.

Introduction: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) frequently change renal replacement (RRT) therapy modality due to medical or social reasons. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of patients under peritoneal dialysis (PD) according to the preceding RRT modality.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational single-center study in prevalent PD patients from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2017, who were followed for 60 months or until they dropped out of PD.

SARS-CoV2 Nsp1 is a metal-dependent DNA and RNA endonuclease.

Over recent years, we have been living under a pandemic, caused by the rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). One of the major virulence factors of Coronaviruses is the Non-structural protein 1 (Nsp1), known to suppress the host cells protein translation machinery, allowing the virus to produce its own proteins, propagate and invade new cells. To unveil the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV2 Nsp1, we have addressed its biochemical and biophysical properties in the presence of calcium, magnesium and manganese.

Chitosan-Silica Composite Aerogel for the Adsorption of Cupric Ions.

A chitosan-silica hybrid aerogel was synthesized and presented as a potential adsorbent for the purification of cupric ion-contaminated media. The combination of the organic polymer (chitosan), which can be obtained from fishery wastes, with silica produced a mostly macroporous material with an average pore diameter of 33 µm. The obtained aerogel was extremely light (56 kg m), porous (96% porosity, 17 cm g pore volume), and presented a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area () of 2.

A Straining Heart: Transthyretin Amyloidosis as a Cause of Heart Failure.

Cardiac amyloidosis is a disease caused by the deposition of amyloid fibrils in the extracellular space of the heart, most often by immunoglobulin light chains or by transthyretin. It is often underdiagnosed because the signs and symptoms are nonspecific or due to the false perception that the diagnosis always requires an endomyocardial biopsy. Transthyretin amyloidosis is being increasingly recognized as a cause of heart failure, particularly in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

The long-lasting Ascaris suum antigens in the lungs shapes the tissue adaptation modifying the pulmonary architecture and immune response after infection in mice.

Ascariasis is the most prevalent helminth affecting approximately 819 million people worldwide. The acute phase of Ascariasis is characterized by larval migration of Ascaris spp., through the intestinal wall, carried to the liver and lungs of the host by the circulatory system.

Hypomagnesemia: a potential underlooked cause of persistent vitamin D deficiency in chronic kidney disease.

Magnesium and vitamin D play important roles in most cells of the body. These nutrients act in a coordinated fashion to maintain physiologic functions of various organs, and their abnormal balance could adversely affect these functions. Therefore, deficient states of both nutrients may lead to several chronic medical conditions and increased cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

Citrus Pruning in the Mediterranean Climate: A Review.

Pruning is a common practice in citrus for various reasons. These include controlling and shaping the canopy; improving phytosanitary health, productivity, and fruit quality; and facilitating operations such as harvesting and phytosanitary treatments. Because pruning is an expensive operation, its need is sometimes questioned.

Structure/function studies of the NAD-dependent DNA ligase from the poly-extremophile Deinococcus radiodurans reveal importance of the BRCT domain for DNA binding.

Bacterial NAD-dependent DNA ligases (LigAs) are enzymes involved in replication, recombination, and DNA-repair processes by catalyzing the formation of phosphodiester bonds in the backbone of DNA. These multidomain proteins exhibit four modular domains, that are highly conserved across species, with the BRCT (breast cancer type 1 C-terminus) domain on the C-terminus of the enzyme. In this study, we expressed and purified both recombinant full-length and a C-terminally truncated LigA from Deinococcus radiodurans (DrLigA and DrLigA∆BRCT) and characterized them using biochemical and X-ray crystallography techniques.

Unraveling the multifaceted resilience of arsenic resistant bacterium .

Arsenic (As) is a toxic heavy metal widely found in the environment that severely undermines the integrity of water resources. Bioremediation of toxic compounds is an appellative sustainable technology with a balanced cost-effective setup. To pave the way for the potential use of an arsenic resistant bacterium, as a platform for arsenic bioremediation, an extensive characterization of its resistance to cellular insults is paramount.

Erythropoietic response after intravenous iron in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction with and without background treatment with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors.

Aims: Intravenous (IV) iron increases haemoglobin/haematocrit and improves outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and iron deficiency. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) also increase haemoglobin/haematocrit and improve outcomes in heart failure by mechanisms linked to nutrient deprivation signalling and reduction of inflammation and oxidative stress. The effect of IV iron among patients using SGLT2i has not yet been studied.

Reduced Chitosan as a Strategy for Removing Copper Ions from Water.

Toxic heavy metals are priority pollutants in wastewater, commonly present in dangerous concentrations in many places across the globe. Although in trace quantities copper is a heavy metal essential to human life, in excess it causes various diseases, whereby its removal from wastewater is a necessity. Among several reported materials, chitosan is a highly abundant, non-toxic, low-cost, biodegradable polymer, comprising free hydroxyl and amino groups, that has been directly applied as an adsorbent or chemically modified to increase its performance.

Triazine-Based Porous Organic Polymers: Synthesis and Application in Dye Adsorption and Catalysis.

The scientific community has been developing promising materials to increase the sustainability and efficiency of production processes and pollutant environmental remediation strategies. Porous organic polymers (POPs) are of special interest, as they are insoluble custom-built materials at the molecular level, endowed with low densities and high stability, surface areas, and porosity. This paper describes the synthesis, characterization, and performance of three triazine-based POPs (T-POPs) in dye adsorption and Henry reaction catalysis.