(3,3'-Methylene)bis-2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones induce cytotoxicity against DU145 and PC3 cancer cells by inhibiting cell viability and promoting cell cycle arrest.

We developed a novel method for the synthesis of bis-naphthoquinones (BNQ), which are hybrids of lawsone (2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) and 3-hydroxy-juglone (3,5-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone). The anticancer activity of three synthesized compounds, named 4 (RC10), 5 (RCDFC), and 6 (RCDOH) was evaluated in vitro against two metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines, DU145 and PC3, using MTT assays. We found that 4 (RC10) and 5 (RCDFC) induced cytotoxicity against DU145 and PC3 cells.

Bone Marrow Adiposity in Premenopausal Women With Type 2 Diabetes With Observations on Peri-Trabecular Adipocytes.

Context: No study has yet evaluated the relationships among bone marrow adiposity (BMA), bone histomorphometry (BH), and glycemic control in premenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Objective: We aimed to assess the effect of glycemic control on BMA, correlate the parameters of BH with BMA, and correlate BMA with the use of hypoglycemic agents and with bone mineral density (BMD).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that evaluated 26 premenopausal women with T2DM who were divided into groups with HbA1c < 7% (good control [GC], n = 10) and HbA1c > 7% (poor control [PC], n = 16).

Bone density and quality in patients treated with direct-acting oral anticoagulants versus warfarin.

Introduction: Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are therapeutic alternatives to warfarin that act independently of vitamin K, thus not affecting bone matrix formation. The aim of this study was to compare bone mineral density (BMD) and microarchitecture in patients treated with DOACs versus warfarin.

Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study in patients using oral anticoagulants for >1 year and a paired control group (CG).

Social jetlag, a novel predictor for high cardiovascular risk in blue-collar workers following permanent atypical work schedules.

Cardiovascular diseases cause >4 million deaths each year in Europe alone. Preventive approaches that do not only consider individual risk factors but their interaction, such as the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE), are recommended by European guidelines. Increased cardiovascular risk is associated with shift-work, surely interacting with the concurrent conditions: disruption of sleep, unhealthy behaviours, and circadian misalignment.

Association between fractures and traditional risk factors for osteoporosis and low bone mineral density in patients with obesity.

Objective: To evaluate the reasons for request of bone mineral density (BMD) evaluation and correlate the BMD results with previous fractures, risk factors for osteoporosis, and clinical characteristics in patients with obesity.

Methods: Cross-sectional, retrospective, single-site study including adult patients with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m and BMD evaluation between January 2015 and May 2016 selected from a BMD database. Data on demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, comorbidities, medications, risk factors, previous fractures, and indications for BMD evaluation were collected from the participants' medical records.

The Perme Mobility Index: A new concept to assess mobility level in patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is evolving rapidly worldwide. Data on the mobility level of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU) are needed.

Objective: To describe the mobility level of patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU and to address factors associated with mobility level at the time of ICU discharge.

Multiple extradural spinal arachnoid cysts: A case report.

Background: Extradural spinal arachnoid cysts (SACs) rarely cause neural compression and disability.

Case Description: A 38-year-old female presented with a history of two episodes of falling due to transient weakness in the lower limbs. The neurological examination showed normal motor and sensory function, but hyperreflexia.

Algal proteins: Production strategies and nutritional and functional properties.

Animal-based proteins are the most consumed worldwide given their well-balanced nutritional composition. However, the growing demand for animal proteins will not be sustainable due to their low conversion efficiency and high environmental footprint. Specific consumers' dietary restrictions and modern trends emphasize the importance of finding alternative sustainable non-animal sources to meet future food (and, in particular, protein) global needs.

Biodegradable Electrospun Nanofibers: A New Approach For Rhinosinusitis Treatment.

Biodegradable polymeric nanofibers containing mometasone furoate can be a new approach to drug delivery to treat chronic rhinosinusitis, providing controlled steroid delivery to the sinonasal mucosa. This study aimed to develop biodegradable polymeric nanofibers and explore the safety of these fibers in an in vivo rabbit model. The nanofibers' development has been optimized using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) obtained with Design of Experiments (DoE) with the best conditions related to the polymer concentration and proportion of solvents used in the electrospinning process.

Assessment of fouling mechanisms on reverse osmosis (RO) membrane during permeation of 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) solutions.

Fouling mechanisms are mainly caused by the deposition of organic compounds that reduce the removal efficiency on reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. It can be described by mathematical models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the membrane fouling and rejection mechanisms when aqueous solutions containing 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in different concentrations are permeated at 5 and 10 bar in a bench-scale dead-end RO system.

Prepubertal gonad investment modulates thymus function: evidence in a teleost fish.

Thymus plasticity following gonadectomy or sex hormone replacement has long since exemplified sex hormone effects on the immune system in mammals and, to a lesser extent, in 'lower vertebrates', including amphibians and fish. Nevertheless, the underlying physiological significances as well as the ontogenetic establishment of this crosstalk remain largely unknown. Here, we used a teleost fish, the European sea bass, , to investigate: (1) whether the regulation of thymus plasticity relies on resource trade-off with somatic growth and reproductive investment and (2) if the gonad-thymus interaction takes place during gonadal differentiation and development.

Dapagliflozin effect on endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients with atherosclerotic disease: a randomized active-controlled trial.

Background: The glucose-lowering independent effect of sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) on arterial wall function has not yet been clarified. This study aims to assess whether SGLT2i treatment can attenuate endothelial dysfunction related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) compared with glucose-lowering equivalent therapy.

Methods: In a prospective, open-label, single-center, randomized clinical trial, 98 patients with T2DM and carotid intima-media thickness above the 75th percentile were randomized 1:1 to 12 weeks of therapy with dapagliflozin or glibenclamide in addition to metformin in glucose-lowering equivalent regimens.

A mobile phone application for malaria case-based reporting to advance malaria surveillance in Myanmar: a mixed methods evaluation.

Background: To achieve malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including Myanmar, it is necessary to ensure all malaria cases are detected, treated, and reported in a timely manner. Mobile phone-based applications for malaria reporting, case management, and surveillance implemented at a community-level may overcome reporting limitations associated with current paper-based reporting (PBR), but their effectiveness in this context is unknown.

Methods: A mixed methods evaluation study was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of a national Malaria Case-Based Reporting (MCBR) mobile phone application in improving malaria case reporting compared to the existing PBR reporting system in Myanmar.

The 2018 EFP/AAP periodontitis case classification demonstrates high agreement with the 2012 CDC/AAP criteria.

Aim: To investigate the agreement between the 2018 EFP/AAP periodontitis case classification and the 2012 CDC/AAP criteria.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed a population-based sample from a rural area in southern Brazil. A complete periodontal examination was performed at six sites/tooth.

Correlation between dental plaque accumulation and gingival health in periodontal maintenance patients using short or extended personal oral hygiene intervals.

Aims: To evaluate the correlation between bacterial dental plaque accumulation and gingival health in subjects with history of periodontitis attending a maintenance programme including personal oral hygiene measures (pOH) at short and extended intervals. This study is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Materials And Methods: Forty-two subjects were randomized into groups performing pOH at 12-, 24- or 48-h intervals.

Completeness of Retention Data and Determinants of Attrition in Birth Cohorts of Very Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review.

Birth cohorts provided essential knowledge for clinical and public health decision-making. However, little is known about retention and determinants of attrition in these specific longitudinal studies, although characterizing predictors of attrition sets the path to mitigate its occurrence and to promote valid inferences. We systematically reviewed retention in follow-ups of birth cohorts of very preterm or very low birth weight infants and the determinants of attrition.

Application of ZnO Nanocrystals as a Surface-Enhancer FTIR for Glyphosate Detection.

Glyphosate detection and quantification is still a challenge. After an extensive review of the literature, we observed that Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) had practically not yet been used for detection or quantification. The interaction between zinc oxide (ZnO), silver oxide (AgO), and Ag-doped ZnO nanocrystals (NCs), as well as that between nanocomposite (Ag-doped ZnO/AgO) and glyphosate was analyzed with FTIR to determine whether nanomaterials could be used as signal enhancers for glyphosates.

Correlation of a Temperate UV-Weathering Cycle to Outdoor Exposure for the Determination of the Environmental Instability of Polyethylene Films Using HT-GPC Analysis.

Accelerated UV-weathering cycles are predominately used for evaluating the durability of plastic materials, particularly polyethylene (PE) films. The point of failure for this testing is usually the loss of a physical property, such as the loss of tensile strength over time. For plastics designed to be instable under environmental conditions, the accelerated weathering cycles are yet to be defined and their correlation to outdoor exposure has yet to be made.

HIV primary drug resistance and associated HIV risk factors among HIV positive blood donors in Brazil from 2007 to 2017.

Background: Acquisition of HIV primary drug resistant (PDR) infection can lead to poor virologic and clinical outcomes in individuals and hampers public health efforts in epidemic control. Monitoring PDR in HIV-positive blood donors can be used to inform nationwide trends in the spread of drug-resistant HIV strains.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using genetic sequence analysis to assess HIV pol sequences, PDR, and risk factors for infection using audio computer-assisted structured interviews in four large blood centers in Brazil from 2007 to 2017.

Galectin-3 Associated with Severe Forms and Long-term Mortality in Patients with Chagas Disease.

Background: The histopathological characteristics of Chagas disease (ChD) are: presence of myocarditis, destruction of heart fibers, and myocardial fibrosis. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a biomarker involved in the mechanism of fibrosis and inflammation that may be useful for risk stratification of individuals with ChD.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate whether high Gal-3 levels are associated with severe forms of Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC) and whether they are predictive of mortality.