An Innovative Intervention Model for Children and Young People in Residential Care: The D'ART-TE Project.

(1) Background: Residential care (RC) for children and youth should provide a holistic experience of growing up. Currently, RC homes face many challenges, highlighting the need for validated, innovative interventions. D'AR-TE is a pilot project aimed at creating an innovative intervention model for children and youth in RC, promoting protective factors through activities designed to enhance personal skills, socialization, and relationship building.

Impact of Regulatory Risk Communication on Thrombosis With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome for COVID-19 Adenovirus Vector Vaccines on European Healthcare Professionals.

Purpose: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued regulatory actions and communications in 2021 on thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) associated with adenovirus vector vaccines Vaxzevria or Jcovden. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of these actions on awareness, knowledge and implementation in practises of healthcare professionals (HCP).

Methods: Web-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted on HCPs engaged in the vaccination, monitoring or counselling about the vaccines.

Cyberbullying Experiences: Whether and How Do the Need for Popularity and Emotional Intelligence Dimensions Affect Them?

The need for popularity and emotional intelligence (EI) have been shown to be relevant factors in relation to aggressive behavior, including cyberbullying. However, the need for popularity and EI have not yet been explored together in relation to cyberbullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence. This research attempts to examine whether the need for popularity was a relevant mediating variable in the link between EI dimensions and both cybervictimization and cyberbullying perpetration, and to identify possible gender differences.

New Supramolecular Hydrogels Based on Diastereomeric Dehydrotripeptide Mixtures for Potential Drug Delivery Applications.

Self-assembly of peptide building blocks offers unique opportunities for bottom-up preparation of exquisite nanostructures, nanoarchitectures, and nanostructured bulk materials, namely hydrogels. In this work we describe the synthesis, characterization, gelation, and rheological properties of new dehydrotripeptides, Cbz--Lys(Cbz)-,-Asp-∆Phe-OH and (2-Naph)--Lys(2-Naph)-,-Asp-∆Phe-OH, containing a -terminal lysine residue --capped with carboxybenzyl (Cbz) and 2-Naphthylacetyl (2-Naph) aromatic moieties, an aspartic acid residue (Asp), and a -terminal dehydrophenylalanine (∆Phe) residue. The dehydrotripeptides were obtained as diastereomeric mixtures (,, and ,,Z), presumably via aspartimide chemistry.

Renewable Photo-Cross-Linkable Polyester-Based Biomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization, and Cytocompatibility Assessment.

The present work consist of the synthesis of photo-cross-linkable materials, based on unsaturated polyesters (UPs), synthesized from biobased monomers from renewable sources such as itaconic acid and 1,4-butanediol. The UPs were characterized to assess the influence of polycondensation reaction temperature and cross-linking time on their final properties. For this purpose, different UV irradiation exposure periods were tested.

Tomographic diagnosis of alveolar bone coverage impact in orthodontic planning: cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Alveolar bone coverage can be diagnosed through cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and this information can prevent orthodontic tooth movement beyond the biological limit.

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of the bone coverage (BC) diagnosis by CBCT in the orthodontists' planning.

Methods: One hundred fifty-nine Brazilian orthodontists suggested treatment plans for six patients at two different times, using two sequential questionnaires.

Could P2X7 receptor be a potencial target in neonatal sepsis?

The United Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME) estimates that every year 2.5 million neonates die in their first month of life, accounting for nearly one-half of deaths in children under 5 years of age. Neonatal sepsis is the third leading cause of neonatal mortality.

Multifunctional magneto-plasmonic lipogel based on peptide hydrogel for application in combined cancer therapy.

Supramolecular hydrogels, particularly low-molecular-weight peptide hydrogels, are promising drug delivery systems due to their ability to change the solubility, targeting, metabolism and toxicity of drugs. Magneto-plasmonic liposomes, in addition to being remotely controllable with the application of an external magnetic field, also increase the efficiency of encapsulated drug release through thermal stimulation, for example, with magnetic and optical hyperthermia. Thus, the combination of those two materials-giving magneto-plasmonic lipogels-brings together several functionalities, among which are hyperthermia and spatiotemporally controlled drug delivery.

Surface coupling of molecularly imprinted polymers as strategy to improve sulfamethoxazole removal from water by carbons produced from spent brewery grain.

This work aims to assess the surface coupling of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) on carbon adsorbents produced from spent brewery grain, namely biochar (BC) and activated carbon (AC), as a strategy to improve selectivity and the adsorptive removal of the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) from water. BC and AC were produced by microwave-assisted pyrolysis, and MIP was obtained by fast bulk polymerization. Two different methodologies were used for the molecular imprinting of BC and AC, the resulting materials being tested for SMX adsorption.

The study of galactomannans with different molecular weights and their ability to form microparticles suitable for pulmonary delivery.

The influence of locust bean gum (LBG) galactomannans (GMs) molecular weight (Mw) to assemble microparticulate systems was evaluated, and carriers for deep lung delivery were developed. A commercial batch of LBG with a mannose/galactose (M/G) ratio of 2.4 (batch 1) was used to study the influence of different microwave partial acid hydrolysis conditions on carbohydrate composition, glycosidic linkages, and aqueous solutions viscosity.

Preparation of Gel Forming Polymer-Based Sprays for First Aid Care of Skin Injuries.

Currently, there are several types of materials for the treatment of wounds, burns, and other topical injuries available on the market. The most used are gauzes and compresses due to their fluid absorption capacity; however, these materials adhere to the surface of the lesions, which can lead to further bleeding and tissue damage upon removal. In the present study, the development of a polymer-based gel that can be applied as a spray provides a new vision in injury protection, respecting the requirements of safety, ease, and quickness of both applicability and removal.

Sustainable valorisation of bioactive molecules from rice husks through hydrothermal extraction for chitosan-based bioplastic production.

Rice husks are a low value byproduct, even though it possesses molecules with great potential, such as arabinoxylans, proteins, and silica. These molecules can be used to improve mechanical and physicochemical properties of materials for food packaging. In this work, hydrothermal treatment was used for a sustainable extraction of the valuable molecules present in rice husks.

A comparative analysis of adolescents' emotions and emotion regulation strategies when witnessing different cyberbullying scenarios.

The search for greater popularity and acceptance by peers increases the use of social networks that may cause cyberbullying. The high number of adolescents who observe this phenomenon may help reduce the negative impact on the victims. Emotion regulation is an important predictor of adolescents' psychological adjustment and social competence to adopt a prosocial behavior.

In-Person Versus Remote 6-Minute Walk and Incremental Shuttle Walk Distances in Advanced Lung Disease.

Background: Field-based walk tests conducted remotely may provide an alternative method to a facility-based assessment of exercise capacity for people with advanced lung disease. This prospective study evaluated the level of agreement in the distance walked between a 6-min walk test (6MWT) and an incremental shuttle walk test performed by using standard in-person procedures and test variations and settings.

Methods: Adults with advanced lung disease underwent 4 study visits: (i) one in-person standard 6MWT (30-m corridor) and one in-person treadmill 6MWT, (ii) a remote 6MWT in a home setting (10-m corridor), (iii) 2 in-person standard incremental shuttle walk tests (10-m corridor), and (iv) a remote incremental shuttle walk test in a home setting (10-m corridor).

Cytokine production by bovine adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction cells upon Neospora caninum stimulation.

In bovines few studies addressed the contribution of adipose tissue to the host immune response to infection. Here we evaluated the in vitro response of bovine adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells to the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum, using live and freeze-killed tachyzoites. Live N.

Chemical attributes, bacterial community, and antibiotic resistance genes are affected by intensive use of soil in agro-ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest, Southeastern Brazil.

Soil is one of the largest reservoirs of microbial diversity in nature. Although soil management is vital for agricultural purposes, intensive practices can have a significant impact on fertility, microbial community, and resistome. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an intensive soil management system on the chemical attributes, composition and structure of prevalent bacterial communities, and presence and abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs).

Assessment of reflectance confocal microscopy for monitoring treatment of actinic keratosis and field cancerization with daylight photodynamic therapy.

Actinic keratosis (AK) is the most common pre-malignant cutaneous lesion of the skin, often associated with field cancerization. Daylight photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) is used as treatment, showing good histological results. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) may be useful as a non-invasive, real-time approach to monitor treatment, however, there is a lack of data on the correlation between RCM and histopathological findings in AK patients treated with DL-PDT.

Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Prospective Cohort Study in Portugal.

Introduction: Information about pan-genotypic treatments for hepatitis in Portugal is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in real-world clinical practice.

Methods: An observational prospective study was implemented in six hospitals with 121 adult HCV patients who initiated treatment with GLE/PIB between October 2018 and April 2019, according to clinical practice.

Dextran-Based Injectable Hydrogel Composites for Bone Regeneration.

Currently, bone infections caused by diseases or injuries are a major health issue. In addition, the conventional therapeutic approaches used to treat bone diseases or injuries present several drawbacks. In the area of tissue engineering, researchers have been developing new alternative therapeutic approaches, such as scaffolds, to promote the regeneration of injured tissues.

Sublingual human chorionic gonadotropin as an adjuvant to ovulation induction.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of sublingually administered human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in combination with clomiphene citrate (CC) or letrozole (LTZ) for ovulation induction.

Methods: In this prospective, double-blind, randomized study, the patients were divided into two placebo groups and two intervention groups using CC, LTZ, and HCG.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in ovulation induction between the groups.

Reduced graphene oxide-reinforced tricalcium phosphate/gelatin/chitosan light-responsive scaffolds for application in bone regeneration.

Bone is a mineralized tissue with the intrinsic capacity for constant remodeling. Rapid prototyping techniques, using biomaterials that mimic the bone native matrix, have been used to develop osteoinductive and osteogenic personalized 3D structures, which can be further combined with drug delivery and phototherapy. Herein, a Fab@Home 3D Plotter printer was used to promote the layer-by-layer deposition of a composite mixture of gelatin, chitosan, tricalcium phosphate, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO).

Evaluation of different functionalization methodologies for improving the removal of three target antibiotics from wastewater by a brewery waste activated carbon.

This work aims to increase the efficiency of an activated carbon produced from brewery waste (AC) in the removal of three target antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole (SMX), trimethoprim (TMP), and ciprofloxacin (CIP)) by surface incorporation of oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur groups. AC was produced using spent brewery grains (the most abundant waste from the brewing industry) as raw material, KCO as activating agent and microwave energy for pyrolysis. Then, seven different functionalized AC were prepared, characterized for their physicochemical properties, and tested for adsorption (%) of SMX, TMP and CIP from three different matrices (ultrapure water (pH ~5-6), buffered ultrapure water (pH 8), and effluent from a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP effluent (pH 8)), under batch operation.

Magnetic Chitosan Bionanocomposite Films as a Versatile Platform for Biomedical Hyperthermia.

Responsive magnetic nanomaterials offer significant advantages for innovative therapies, for instance, in cancer treatments that exploit on-demand delivery on alternating magnetic field (AMF) stimulus. In this work, biocompatible magnetic bionanocomposite films are fabricated from chitosan by film casting with incorporation of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) produced by facile one pot synthesis. The influence of synthesis conditions and MNP concentration on the films' heating efficiency and heat dissipation are evaluated through spatio-temporal mapping of the surface temperature changes by video-thermography.

Acute Fulminant Cerebral Edema in a Child With Suspected Meningoencephalitis.

Acute fulminant cerebral edema (AFCE) is a recently identified encephalitis type associated with significant morbimortality. Described as rare, limited data exists on its early detection and treatment. This paper describes a case of AFCE that progressed to unresponsive intracranial hypertension.