Reducing fumonisin contamination in Brazilian maize: The impact of Codex standards and regulatory frameworks.

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced primarily by the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex in maize, and contamination poses significant health risks and economic implications. This review explores Brazil's comprehensive approach to reducing fumonisin contamination in maize, particularly the strategies adopted by the Brazilian Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), thanks to its participation in and the work of the Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods (CCCF). Through collaborative efforts with several stakeholders, Brazil has successfully reduced fumonisin levels over the past thirty years, improving food safety for its population and exports.

Mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) alter activity and spatial cohesion across a continuous forest and forest fragment in Costa Rica.

Habitat loss due to deforestation is a primary threat to global biodiversity. Clearing tropical rainforests for agriculture or development leads to forest fragmentation. Forest fragments contain fewer large trees and provide lower food availability for primates compared to continuous forests.

Heart rate variability and psychological health: The key role of trait emotional awareness.

Studies have shown that Trait Emotional Awareness (TEA) - the ability to recognize one's emotions - and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) are both negatively associated with psychological disorders. Although these studies imply that TEA is related to HRV and may explain the association between HRV and psychological disorders, there is limited research investigating this implication. Such investigation is essential to illuminate the psychophysiological processes linked to psychological disorders.

Not the Master of Your Volitional Mind? The Roles of the Right Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Personality Traits in Unconscious Introjections Versus Self-Chosen Goals.

Humans are unconditionally confronted with social expectations and norms, up to a degree that they, or some of them, have a hard time recognizing what they actually want. This renders them susceptible for introjection, that is, to unwittingly or "unconsciously" mistake social expectations for self-chosen goals. Such introjections compromise an individual's autonomy and mental health and have been shown to be more prevalent in individuals with rumination tendencies and low emotional self-awareness.

Piperazinyl glutamate pyridines as potent orally bioavailable P2Y12 antagonists for inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Polymer-assisted solution-phase (PASP) parallel library synthesis was used to discover a piperazinyl glutamate pyridine as a P2Y(12) antagonist. Exploitation of this lead provided compounds with excellent inhibition of platelet aggregation as measured in a human platelet rich plasma (PRP) assay. Pharmacokinetic and physiochemical properties were optimized through modifications at the 4-position of the pyridine ring and the terminal nitrogen of the piperazine ring, leading to compound (4S)-4-[({4-[4-(methoxymethyl)piperidin-1-yl]-6-phenylpyridin-2-yl}carbonyl)amino]-5-oxo-5-{4-[(pentyloxy)carbonyl]piperazin-1-yl}pentanoic acid 47s with good human PRP potency, selectivity, in vivo efficacy, and oral bioavailability.

Part II: piperazinyl-glutamate-pyridines as potent orally bioavailable P2Y12 antagonists for inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Efforts to refine the SAR of the piperazinyl-glutamate-pyridines for more potent analogs with improved pharmacokinetic profiles are described. Exploring substituted piperidines and other ring systems at the 4-pyridyl position led to compounds with improved potency and pharmacokinetic properties over candidate I. In particular, compounds 4t and 5t were discovered with a 10-fold improvement over potency and improved pharmacokinetic profiles in both the rat and dog.

Piperazinyl-glutamate-pyrimidines as potent P2Y12 antagonists for inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Piperazinyl-glutamate-pyrimidines were prepared with oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur substitution at the 4-position of the pyrimidine leading to highly potent P2Y12 antagonists. In particular, 4-substituted piperidine-4-pyrimidines provided compounds with exceptional potency. Pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties were fine-tuned through modifications at the 4-position of the piperidine ring leading to compounds with good human PRP potency, selectivity, clearance and oral bioavailability.

Thienopyrimidine-based P2Y12 platelet aggregation inhibitors.

Herein we describe the design and synthesis of a novel series of potent thienopyrimidine P2Y12 inhibitors and the negative impact protein binding has on the inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Piperazinyl-glutamate-pyridines as potent orally bioavailable P2Y12 antagonists for inhibition of platelet aggregation.

Polymer-assisted solution-phase (PASP) parallel library synthesis was used to discover a piperazinyl-glutamate-pyridine as a P2Y(12) antagonist. Exploitation of this lead provided compounds with excellent inhibition of platelet aggregation as measured in a human platelet rich plasma (PRP) assay. Pharmacokinetic and physiochemical properties were optimized leading to compound (4S)-4-[({4-[4-(methoxymethyl)piperidin-1-yl]-6-phenylpyridin-2-yl}carbonyl)amino]-5-oxo-5-{4-[(pentyloxy)carbonyl]piperazin-1-yl}pentanoic acid 22J with good human PRP potency, selectivity, in vivo efficacy and oral bioavailability.

Orbital frontal cortex ablations of rock squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus) disinhibit innate antisnake behavior.

The antisnake behavior of rock squirrels (Spermophilus variegatus) was examined to determine the role of the orbital frontal cortex in regulating physiological arousal and behavioral excitability during encounters with a rattlesnake predator. Rock squirrels with orbital frontal cortex ablations and sham-surgery control squirrels were presented with a caged rattlesnake pre- and postsurgery. Orbital frontal cortex ablations had no substantial effect on the expression of gross motor behavior in dealing with the rattlesnake, but they augmented the speed of snake recognition and clearly disinhibited sympathetic arousal as manifested by increased tail piloerection and tail-flagging activity, which is a specific antisnake behavior.

2,3,4,5-tetrahydro- and 2,3,4,5,11,11a-hexahydro-1H-[1,4]diazepino[1,7-a]indoles: new templates for 5-HT(2C) agonists.

The design and synthesis of the novel 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-[1,4]diazepino[1,7-a]indole 5 is described. This azepinoindole has excellent affinity for 5-HT(2C) (K(i) 4.8 nM) and modest selectivity over 5-HT(2A) ( approximately 4-fold).