Parasites of Astyanax lacustris (Pisces, Characiformes) from Brazilian streams.

Astyanax lacustris is a small characid fish widely distributed in Brazil, with fast-growing and omnivorous feeding habits. Although the species presents economic and ecological importance, little is known about its parasitological fauna in stream environments. This study aimed to characterize the parasitic fauna of A.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Engagement Modulates Neuroma Microenviroment in Rats and Humans and Prevents Postamputation Pain.

Postamputation pain is currently managed unsatisfactorily with neuron-targeted pharmacological and interventional therapies. Non-neuronal pain mechanisms have emerged as crucial factors in the development and persistence of postamputation pain. Consequently, these mechanisms offer exciting prospects as innovative therapeutic targets.

Efficiency, Kinetics and Mechanism of 4-Nitroaniline Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Emulsion Liquid Membranes Using Type 1 Facilitated Transport.

4-Nitroaniline (4NA) is a common organic pollutant that is released into the environment during the manufacture and processing of a wide variety of industrial products. This article describes the use of an emulsion liquid membrane process to remove 4NA from aqueous solutions using a type 1 facilitated transport mechanism. Optimization of the removal process was carried out by analyzing the efficiency of 4NA removal from the feed phase and the initial apparent feed/membrane fluxes and permeabilities under different experimental conditions.

An experimental model of western diet in female Wistar rats leads to cardiac hypoxia related to a stimulated contractility.

Previous studies in Western diet (WD)-fed male rats have highlighted a link between the stimulation of cardiac contractility, mitochondrial adaptations and a pro-inflammatory fatty acid profile of phospholipids in the heart. Our objectives were to determine (1) if WD-fed female Wistar rats and obese humans display a similar pro-inflammatory profile in their cardiac phospholipids and (2) if this lipid profile is associated with deleterious effects on the heart of the female rodents. Female Wistar rats were fed WD for 5 weeks or a laboratory chow as a control.

Occurrence of plasmid-mediated fosfomycin resistance (fos genes) among Escherichia coli isolates, Portugal.

Objectives: To evaluate the occurrence of plasmid-mediated fos genes among fosfomycin-resistant Escherichia coli isolates collected from patients in Lisbon, Portugal, and characterize the fos-positive strains.

Methods: A total of 19 186 E. coli isolates were prospectively collected between April 2022 and January 2023 from inpatients and outpatients at a private laboratory in Lisbon.

Perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) disturbs the estrous cycle, ovulation rate, oocyte cell communication and calcium homeostasis in mice.

Perfluoroalkyl substances are man-made chemicals with ample consumer and industrial applications. They are widely used and are resistant to environmental and metabolic degradation. Several studies have evaluated the effects of Perfluorohexane sulfonate on reproduction.

Effect of indexed glomerular filtration rate according to age.

Background: To find out up to what age there is dispersion in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) values when normalised by body surface area (BSA) and extracellular fluid volume (ECFV), based on the hypothesis that these values differ in childhood age.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on patients aged 0-85 years, with renal pathology, who were administered i.v.

Description of conformational ensembles of disordered proteins by residue-local probabilities.

The study of proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) has emerged as an active field of research due to their intriguing nature. Although IDRs lack a well-defined folded structure, they play important functional roles in cells, following biological mechanisms different from those of the traditional structured proteins. Consequently, it has been necessary to re-design experimental and theoretical methods in order to face the challenges introduced by the dynamic nature of IDRs.

Pediatric Burns Debridement Under Sedoanalgesia During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cost-Effective Alternative.

Early debridement of childhood burns under sedoanalgesia in the emergency department (ED) may help to reduce the need of surgery and delay in treatment. We performed a retrospective study in burned children who underwent debridement in the ED under sedoanalgesia between March 2020 and December 2020 (COVID group), and were compared with the same months in 2019 (control group). Demographics, burns features, admission rate, and estimated costs associated were collected.

Modulation of the Inflammatory Response by Pre-emptive Administration of IMT504 Reduces Postoperative Pain in Rats and has Opioid-Sparing Effects.

Despite the available knowledge on underlying mechanisms and the development of several therapeutic strategies, optimal management of postoperative pain remains challenging. This preclinical study hypothesizes that, by promoting an anti-inflammatory scenario, pre-emptive administration of IMT504, a noncoding, non-CpG oligodeoxynucleotide with immune modulating properties, will reduce postincisional pain, also facilitating therapeutic opioid-sparing. Male adult Sprague-Dawley rats with unilateral hindpaw skin-muscle incision received pre-emptive (48 and 24 hours prior to surgery) or postoperative (6 hours after surgery) subcutaneous vehicle (saline) or IMT504.

Comparative Study of 4-Aminophenol Removal from Aqueous Solutions by Emulsion Liquid Membranes Using Acid and Basic Type 1 Facilitations: Optimisation and Kinetics.

The molecule 4-aminophenol (4AP) is recognised as a serious environmental pollutant that enters the environment during the manufacture and processing of a variety of industrial processes and through the degradation of some pharmaceutical products. This paper describes a comparative study of 4AP removal from aqueous solutions by emulsion liquid membranes using acid and basic type 1-facilitated transports. The results are explained by analysing the stripping process through both the different relative acid/basic strength of the hydroxyl and amine groups of the 4AP molecule and the hydrogen-bonding capacity with water of the ionisation products generated by the reaction of 4AP with HCl or NaOH.

Gastrointestinal and sensory manifestations, nutrition management, and energy-protein intake in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Background: Gastrointestinal and sensory manifestations (GSMs) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may affect food intake, resulting in malnutrition and poor outcomes. We characterized the impact of GSMs and oral nutrition supplementation on energy-protein intake (EPI) and hospital discharge in adult patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Patients from two hospitals were enrolled (n = 357).

Impacts of COVID-19 on the Chilean salmon: A first approach to the effects of the pandemic in the industry.

Chile is the second largest producer of salmon in the world and is an important pillar of the national economy. Any disruption in how the industry functions will have economic and social effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Chilean salmon industry.

Ibuprofen Removal by Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide Coated Polysulfone Nanofiltration Membranes.

The presence of pharmaceutical products, and their metabolites, in wastewater has become a focus of growing environmental concern. Among these pharmaceutical products, ibuprofen (IBU) is one of the most consumed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and it can enter the environment though both human and animal consumption, because it is not entirely absorbed by the body, and the pharmaceutical industry wastewater. Nanofiltration has been described as an attractive process for the treatment of wastewater containing pharmaceutical products.

Parasites and diet of Serrasalmus maculatus in a hydroelectric reservoir in Brazil.

Serrasalmus maculatus is a species of piranha which, despite being abundant in a reservoir environment, has few studies related to its parasitological and diet aspects. Thus, we aimed to document the parasitic fauna and diet of the S. maculatus in a hydroelectric reservoir in Brazil.

Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid in oxidative stress generation, DNA damage in cumulus cells, and its impact on in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes.

Perfluorooctanoic acid is a synthetic compound mostly used in a wide range of consumer products with several adverse effects on somatic cells and gametes. It has been linked to hepatotoxic and carcinogenic effects, alterations in the immune system, endocrine, and reproductive alterations. In vivo studies show an increase in reactive oxygen species and DNA damage.

Effects of Auriculotherapy on treatment of women with premenstrual syndrome symptoms: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of auriculotherapy on the intensity of physical and mood Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms.

Design: Single-blind randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Setting: Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.

Analysis of the factors predicting clinical response to tocilizumab therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.

Background: Controversy remains about the efficacy of tocilizumab (TCZ) for the treatment of severe COVID-19. We aimed to analyze the profile of TCZ-respondent patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of patients with severe COVID-19 who received off-label TCZ after recommendation by a local committee and were admitted to the University Hospital "12 de Octubre" until May 2020.

Feasibility of Adsorption Kinetic Models to Study Carrier-Mediated Transport of Heavy Metal Ions in Emulsion Liquid Membranes.

Emulsion liquid membranes have been successfully used for the removal of different types of organic and inorganic pollutants by means of carrier-mediated transport mechanisms. However, the models that describe the kinetics and transport of such mechanisms are very complex due to the high number of model parameters. Starting from an analysis of the similarity between the elemental mechanisms of carrier-mediated transport in liquid membranes and of transport in adsorption processes, this paper presents an experimental analysis of the possibility of applying kinetic and mechanistic models developed for adsorption to carrier-mediated transport in emulsion liquid membranes.

Tropical deforestation induces thresholds of reproductive viability and habitat suitability in Earth's largest eagles.

Apex predators are threatened globally, and their local extinctions are often driven by failures in sustaining prey acquisition under contexts of severe prey scarcity. The harpy eagle Harpia harpyja is Earth's largest eagle and the apex aerial predator of Amazonian forests, but no previous study has examined the impact of forest loss on their feeding ecology. We monitored 16 active harpy eagle nests embedded within landscapes that had experienced 0 to 85% of forest loss, and identified 306 captured prey items.

Activated Olive Stones as a Low-Cost and Environmentally Friendly Adsorbent for Removing Cephalosporin C from Aqueous Solutions.

In this paper, we describe the removal of cephalosporin C (CPC) from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto activated olive stones (AOS) in a stirred tank. For comparative purposes, several experiments of adsorption onto commercial granular activated carbon were carried out. A quantum study of the different species of cephalosporin C that, depending on the pH, exist in aqueous solution pointed to a favorable mass transfer process during adsorption.

RBD-specific polyclonal F(ab´) fragments of equine antibodies in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease: A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, adaptive phase 2/3 clinical trial.

Background: passive immunotherapy is a therapeutic alternative for patients with COVID-19. Equine polyclonal antibodies (EpAbs) could represent a source of scalable neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: we conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess efficacy and safety of EpAbs (INM005) in hospitalized adult patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 pneumonia in 19 hospitals of Argentina.

Effectiveness of anakinra for tocilizumab-refractory severe COVID-19: A single-centre retrospective comparative study.

Objectives: A subgroup of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection was thought to have developed cytokine release syndrome and were treated with tocilizumab; however, a significant percentage of patients evolved. This study aimed to determine the usefulness of anakinra as a rescue treatment for patients with tocilizumab-refractory COVID-19 disease.

Methods: A prospective cohort of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who received anakinra as salvage therapy after failure of tocilizumab were compared (1:1) with selected controls in a historical cohort of patients treated with tocilizumab.

Accuracy of virtually planned mandibular distraction in a pediatric case series.

The aim of this study was to describe the utility of 3D technology in mandibular distraction (MD) for patients with mandibular hypoplasia (MH), using 3D-printed cutting guides (CGs), and to assess the differences between virtual surgical planning (VSP) and the final result. A descriptive retrospective study of five patients diagnosed with MH, who required unilateral or bilateral MD, was carried out between January 2018 and January 2020. All patients underwent preoperative craniofacial CT scan and a 3D VSP was executed.