Purine nucleosides as selective inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase - a multidisciplinary study.

The computational study of the most relevant interactions of the nanomolar purine nucleoside BuChE selective inhibitor has shown that the benzyl group at position 2 and the purine acetamido group are required for activity. In addition, the synthesis of a 6-iodinated radiolabelled analogue and the study of bioavailability have shown a low percentage of uptake by the brain after 1 hour. These results encouraged the synthesis of a small library of new compounds, focussing on deoxygenation at other positions aiming to access active and more bioavailable structures.

Differences in brain connectivity between older adults practicing Tai Chi and Water Aerobics: a case-control study.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms that differentiate mind-body practices from aerobic physical activities and elucidate their effects on cognition and healthy aging. We examined functional brain connectivity in older adults (age > 60) without pre-existing uncontrolled chronic diseases, comparing Tai Chi with Water Aerobics practitioners.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, case-control fMRI study involving two strictly matched groups ( = 32) based on gender, age, education, and years of practice.

Cadence matters: Influence of cadence on spinal load during running.

Background: Running exposes the body to physiological and mechanical stresses that generate musculoskeletal injuries, such as low back pain due to large spinal loading. Increasing running cadence may reduce impact forces and spinal shrinkage.

Research Question: This study aimed to determine the relationship between spinal loading and running cadence.

Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage, serotypes, genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance trends among children in Portugal, after introduction of PCV13 in National Immunization Program: A cross-sectional study.

Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage studies are crucial to monitor changes induced by use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and inform vaccination policies. In this cross-sectional study, we examined changes within the pneumococcal population following introduction of PCV13 in 2015 in the National Immunization Program (NIP), in Portugal. In 2018-2020 (NIP-PCV13), we obtained 1450 nasopharyngeal samples from children ≤6 years attending day-care.

Enhanced Cytotoxicity against a Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line Combining Radiation and Gold Nanoparticles.

The present work consisted of an exploratory study aiming to evaluate in vitro the potential of AuNPs during Radiation Therapy (RT) in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. AuNPs coated with hyaluronic and oleic acids (HAOA-AuNPs) or with bombesin peptides (BBN-AuNPs) were used. AuNPs were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Dynamic Light Scattering.

Load carriage does not reduce absolute mechanical power output but reduces agility in elite military police officers.

. The main objective of this study was to evaluate mean propulsive velocity (MPV), mean propulsive force (MPF) and mean propulsive power (MPP) in elite police officers under LOADED and UNLOADED conditions. The study also investigated the association of body composition and strength levels under the same load conditions.

Work bout handling of a search dog reduces handgrip strength and increases firefighters' risk of falls.

Objectives: Firefighters work with dogs as support for their search activities for victims. Firefighters who handle dogs supposedly have higher acute muscle pain, more stumbling, and fatigue. This study aimed to verify the influence of a mantrailing dog on the firefighter's psychophysiological and muscular responses and the number of imbalances in a simulated activity of searching for people.

Ligand-free Tc-polyurea dendrimer complexes: nanoradiotheranostics targeting ovarian cancer.

A folic acid-targeted polyurea (PURE) dendrimer was easily radiolabelled with Technetium-99m (Tc-PURE-FA) avoiding the use of additional ligands and bioconjugation chemistry. This straightforward strategy is enabled in PURE dendrimers due to their favourable surface terminal groups configuration, showing coordination capabilities and turning these biodendrimers into attractive platforms for nanoradiotheranostics.

Correction: Zwergel et al. Novel Quinoline Compounds Active in Cancer Cells through Coupled DNA Methyltransferase Inhibition and Degradation. 2020, , 447.

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Targeting proto-oncogene B-MYB G-quadruplex with a nucleic acid-based fluorescent probe.

The B-MYB gene encodes a transcription factor (B-MYB) that regulates cell growth and survival. Abnormal expression of B-MYB is frequently observed in lung cancer and poses challenges for targeted drug therapy. Oncogenes often contain DNA structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s) in their promoter regions, and B-MYB is no exception.

Targeting of G-quadruplex DNA with Tc(I)/Re(I) Tricarbonyl Complexes Carrying Pyridostatin Derivatives.

The main goal of this work was to elucidate the potential relevance of (radio)metal chelates of Tc and Re targeting G-quadruplex structures for the design of new tools for cancer theranostics. Tc provides the complexes with the ability to perform single-photon-emission computed tomography imaging studies, while the Re complexes should act as anticancer agents upon interaction with specific G4 DNA or RNA structures present in tumor tissues. Towards this goal, we have developed isostructural Tc(I) and Re(I) tricarbonyl complexes anchored by a pyrazolyl-diamine (Pz) chelator carrying a pendant pyridostatin (PDS) fragment as the G4-binding motif.

Utility of realistic microscopy-based cell models in simulation studies of nanoparticle-enhanced photon radiotherapy.

To enhance the effect of radiation on the tumor without increasing the dose to the patient, the combination of high-Z nanoparticles with radiotherapy has been proposed. In this work, we investigate the effects of the physical parameters of nanoparticles (NPs) on the Dose Enhancement Factor (DEF), and on the Sensitive Enhancement Ratio (SER) by applying a version of the Linear Quadratic Model. A method for constructing voxelized realistic cell geometries in Monte Carlo simulations from confocal microscopy images was developed and applied to Gliobastoma Multiforme cell lines (U87 and U373).

Toward a Platform for the Treatment of Burns: An Assessment of Nanoemulsions vs. Nanostructured Lipid Carriers Loaded with Curcumin.

Curcumin is a highly promising substance for treating burns, owing to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound-healing properties. However, its therapeutic use is restricted due to its hydrophobic nature and low bioavailability. This study was conducted to address these limitations; it developed and tested two types of lipid nanocarriers, namely nanoemulsions (NE-CUR) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC-CUR) loaded with curcumin, and aimed to identify the most suitable nanocarrier for skin burn treatment.

DNA-Targeted Complexes of Tc and Re for Biomedical Applications.

Due to their favorable chemical features, Re and Tc complexes have been widely used for the development of new therapeutic agents and imaging probes to solve problems of biomedical relevance. This review provides an update of the most relevant research efforts towards the development of novel cancer theranostic agents using Re and Tc-based compounds interacting with specific DNA structures. This includes a variety of homometallic complexes, namely those containing M(CO) (M=Re, Tc) moieties, that exhibit different modes of interaction with DNA, such as covalent binding, intercalation, groove binding or G-quadruplex DNA binding.

Trait-based sensitivity of large mammals to a catastrophic tropical cyclone.

Extreme weather events perturb ecosystems and increasingly threaten biodiversity. Ecologists emphasize the need to forecast and mitigate the impacts of these events, which requires knowledge of how risk is distributed among species and environments. However, the scale and unpredictability of extreme events complicate risk assessment-especially for large animals (megafauna), which are ecologically important and disproportionately threatened but are wide-ranging and difficult to monitor.

Survival of Heart Transplant Patients with Chagas' Disease Under Different Antiproliferative Immunosuppressive Regimens.

Chagas' disease (CD) is an important cause of heart transplantation (HT). The main obstacle is Chagas' disease reactivation (CDR), usually associated to high doses of immunosuppressants. Previous studies have suggested an association of mycophenolate mofetil with increased CDR.

The Potential of Bioaugmentation-Assisted Phytoremediation Derived Maize Biomass for the Production of Biomethane via Anaerobic Digestion.

Anthropogenic behaviors are causing the severe build-up of heavy metal (HM) pollutants in the environment, particularly in soils. Amongst a diversity of remediation technologies, phytoremediation is an environmentally friendly technology that, when coupling tolerant plants to selected rhizospheric microorganisms, can greatly stimulate HM decontamination of soils. Maize () is a plant with the reported capacity for HM exclusion from contaminated soil but also has energetic importance.

and studies of [M(η-pseudoerlotinib)] sandwich complexes (M = Re, Tc).

The pursuit of molecular imaging for tumors has led to endeavors focused on targeting epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) through monoclonal antibodies or radionuclide-labelled EGF analogs with Tc, In, or I. In this context, various Tc-labeled EGFR inhibitors using quinazoline structures have been reported based on the so-called pendant approach and on two types of complexes and labelling strategies: "4 + 1" mixed ligand complexes and -tricarbonyl complexes. Apart from this approach, which alters lead structures by linking pharmacophores to chelator frameworks through different connectors, the integrated incorporation of topoisomerase and tyrosine kinase inhibitors into Re and Tc complexes has not been explored.

Insights into SARS-CoV-2 in Angola during the COVID-19 peak: Molecular epidemiology and genome surveillance.

Background: In Angola, COVID-19 cases have been reported in all provinces, resulting in >105,000 cases and >1900 deaths. However, no detailed genomic surveillance into the introduction and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been conducted in Angola. We aimed to investigate the emergence and epidemic progression during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Angola.

The upper respiratory tract microbiota of healthy adults is affected by Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage, smoking habits, and contact with children.

Background: The microbiota of the upper respiratory tract is increasingly recognized as a gatekeeper of respiratory health. Despite this, the microbiota of healthy adults remains understudied. To address this gap, we investigated the composition of the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal microbiota of healthy adults, focusing on the effect of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage, smoking habits, and contact with children.

Marshalling the Potential of Auger Electron Radiopharmaceutical Therapy.

Auger electron (AE) radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) may have the same therapeutic efficacy as α-particles for oncologic small disease, with lower risks of normal-tissue toxicity. The seeds of using AE emitters for RPT were planted several decades ago. Much knowledge has been gathered about the potency of the biologic effects caused by the intense shower of these low-energy AEs.

Simultaneous Upper- and Lower-Limb Postactivation Performance Enhancement After Clean and Jerk.

Studies on postactivation performance enhancement (PAPE) have used different exercises as a conditioning activity to investigate potentiation, but exclusively in upper limbs (UL) or lower (LL) limbs, or contralateral potentiation. A single exercise capable of inducing PAPE in both UL and LL is currently unknown. The present study explored the effect of the clean and jerk (C&J) as a conditioning activity for simultaneously producing PAPE interlimbs at the fourth, seventh, and 12th minutes postintervention.