Application of fourier transform infrared vibrational spectroscopy in identifying early biochemical changes in lipid profiles of individuals undergoing Roux-en-y gastric bypass.

Background: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is an analytical technique increasingly applied in biological analysis. This study investigates the application of FTIR to identify early biochemical changes, particularly in lipid profiles, in individuals undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Methods: An observational study involving patients from a university hospital's Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Program, with evaluations performed before (T0) and two months after (T1) RYGB.

Detection and distinction of amino acids and post-translational modifications with gold nanojunctions.

Amino acids are fundamental building blocks of proteins, playing critical roles in medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and biomarker identification. The development of nanoscale electronic sensors capable of single-amino-acid recognition has gained significant attention due to their potential for label-free, real-time detection. In this study, we investigate the electronic transport properties of amino acids in two gold-based nanodevices with distinct architectures: a gold nanojunction and a gold-capacitor system.

Optimizing the Construction and Activation of 3D-Printed Electrochemical Sensors: An Experimental Design Approach for Simultaneous Electroanalysis of Paracetamol and Caffeine.

This work presents an optimization of the construction, treatment, and activation of 3D-printed electrochemical sensors (E-3D). For this, was used a 2-full factorial design examining three key variables at two levels: electrode height, electrode diameter, and printing speed. Moreover, it evaluates various physical, chemical, and electrochemical methods to treat and activate the E-3D surface.

Laser-Induced Graphene for Electrochemical Sensing of Antioxidants in Biodiesel.

Synthetic antioxidants are often introduced to biodiesel to increase its oxidative stability, and -butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) has been selected due to its high efficiency for this purpose. The monitoring of antioxidants in biodiesel therefore provides information on the oxidative stability of biodiesels. Herein, a laser-induced graphene (LIG) electrode is introduced as a new sensor for detecting -butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) in biodiesel samples.

Risk of sarcopenia: A red flag for cognitive decline in postmenopause?

Objective: To determine if the SARC-F tool, used to screen for sarcopenia risk, can also predict mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool.

Methods: This is a sub-analysis of data from a cross-sectional study carried out in postmenopausal women from Latin America (nine countries) in which sociodemographic, clinical, and anthropometric data were collected, and the SARC-F and MoCA tools administered. From the original sample of 1185 women, analysis was performed only among the 772 with natural menopause.

Personal, occupational and cardiovascular risk factors associated with elevated blood pressure in Brazilian firefighters: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Our study evaluated the prevalence of hypertension in a population of Brazilian firefighters and the association of elevated blood pressure (BP) with personal, occupational, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting: Our study was based on health inspections of the Military Fire Brigade of the Espírito Santo State, Brazil, performed in 2019.

A review of recent progress in alginate-based nanocomposite materials for tissue engineering applications.

Integrating nanotechnology with tissue engineering has revolutionized biomedical sciences, enabling the development of advanced therapeutic strategies. Tissue engineering applications widely utilize alginate due to its biocompatibility, mild gelation conditions, and ease of modification. Combining different nanomaterials with alginate matrices enhances the resulting nanocomposites' physicochemical properties, such as mechanical, electrical, and biological properties, as well as their surface area-to-volume ratio, offering significant potential for tissue engineering applications.

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection over two epidemic waves in Manaus, Brazil: A serological study of seven thousand blood donors.

Background: Most longitudinal studies of COVID-19 incidence have used unlinked samples. The city of Manaus, Brazil, has a blood donation program which allows sample linkage, and was struck by two large COVID-19 epidemic waves between mid-2020 and early 2021.

Methods: We estimated the changing force of infection, i.

Impact of crack cocaine on salivary nucleic acids, enzymes, esters, and lipids: A fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy study.

Objective: This study aims to analyze saliva composition in crack users using vibrational spectroscopy.

Material And Methods: A total of 90 participants were meticulously selected and divided into three groups, each comprising 30 individuals. All participants met the criterion of having no observable clinical changes in the oral mucosa.

Harnessing plant growth-promoting bacteria (Herbaspirillum seropedicae) from an optimal mineral nitrogen supply: A study on improving nitrogen use efficiency in marandu palisadegrass.

Increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) remains a crucial topic in contemporary agriculture. Inoculation with endophytic diazotrophic bacteria offers a potential solution, but the results vary with the N-fertilization regime. Here, we examined the efficacy of inoculation with Herbaspirillum seropedicae strain HRC54 in enhancing NUE and promoting the growth of Marandu palisadegrass with varying levels of N-urea (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg N kg soil⁻).

Cognition, physical function and life purpose in the rural elderly population: a systematic review.

Introduction: Aging in rural areas is challenging and has very specific characteristics in the way these elderly people live their old age, from the perspectives of cognition, functionality and life purpose. There is a lack of information and data in the literature on how people age in rural areas around the world. The aim of this study was to identify and describe how people age in rural areas, focusing on the following domains: cognition, physical function/functionality and life purpose.

Population size, income and poor sanitation interact to explain widespread streamwater contamination by antidepressants in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.

The expansion of urban settlements over native environments may expose biodiversity to a host of emerging contaminants, with unintended ecological effects. This study evaluated patterns of contamination of streamwater by antidepressants in the Upper Tietê River Basin, a watershed of high social, economic and environmental relevance for comprising both the largest urban settlement in South America (the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo) and remnants of a globally important biodiversity hotspot (the Atlantic Rainforest). We sampled 53 third-order streams draining catchments regularly distributed across a gradient in urban cover.

Nutritional Status of Patients with Neoplasms Undergoing Ambulatory Chemotherapy and Associated Factors.

Background/objectives: Cancer, a leading cause of mortality globally and in Brazil, is influenced by environmental and behavioral factors, often linked to nutritional deficiencies such as low body mass index and muscle wasting, exacerbating prognostic outcomes and mortality rates. Timely nutritional interventions during chemotherapy are pivotal, necessitating continuous nutritional assessment for effective patient care management. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of non-metastatic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and identify factors influencing their nutritional status.

Recent Advances on Starch-Based Adsorbents for Heavy Metal and Emerging Pollutant Remediation.

Starch is one of the most abundant polysaccharides in nature and has a high potential for application in several fields, including effluent treatment as an adsorbent. Starch has a unique structure, with zones of different crystallinity and a glycosidic structure containing hydroxyl groups. This configuration allows a wide range of interactions with pollutants of different degrees of hydrophilicity, which includes from hydrogen bonding to hydrophobic interactions.

Improving Soybean Germination and Nodule Development with Nitric Oxide-Releasing Polymeric Nanoparticles.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional signaling molecule in plants, playing key roles in germination, microbial symbiosis, and nodule formation. However, its instability requires innovative approaches, such as using nanoencapsulated NO donors, to prolong its effects. This study evaluated the impact of treating soybean () seeds with the NO donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), encapsulated in polymeric nanoparticles, on the germination, nodulation, and plant growth.

Evaluation of Peri-Implantitis through Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy on Saliva.

Background: Peri-implantitis is characterized as a pathological change in the tissues around dental implants. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) provides molecular information from optical phenomena observed by the vibration of molecules, which is used in biological studies to characterize changes and serves as a form of diagnosis.

Aims: this case-control study evaluated the peri-implant disease by using FTIR spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance in the fingerprint region.

Presence of polyketide synthases and nonribosomal peptide synthetase in culturable bacteria associated with Aplysina fulva and Aplysina caissara (Porifera).

Culture-dependent and -independent studies have provided access to symbiont genes and the functions they play for host sponges. Thus, this work investigates the diversity, presence of genes of pharmacological interest, biological activities and metabolome of the bacteria isolated from the sponges Aplysina caissara and Aplysina fulva collected on the southwestern Atlantic Coast. The genes for Polyketide Synthases types I and II and Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetases were screened in more than 200 bacterial strains obtained, from which around 40% were putatively novel.

Death Anxiety Among Users and Non-Users of Psychedelics.

This study is a survey-type, cross-sectional study conducted in Brazil ( = 517), with online data collection taking place from April to June 2022. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the death anxiety in users and non-users of psychedelics. To this end, we also assessed the validity and reliability of the Death Anxiety Scale in Brazil.

Can microplastic pollution be affected by beach nourishment? Assessment in intertidal sediment and bivalves.

Several methods can be used to mitigate coastal erosion, and one of the leading solutions is known as beach nourishment (BN), which involves using dredged material for nourishment, adding sand to extend an eroding beach. Although it has many advantages, the environmental impacts of BN remain poorly understood, especially on plastic pollution, which had not been investigated until this study. We aimed to compare the abundance and distribution of microplastics (MPs) found in intertidal sediments and specimens of the bivalve mollusks Crassostrea brasiliana, Mytella strigata, Perna perna, and Tivela mactroides, collected in two beaches of Vitoria, Southeast of Brazil (da Costa et al.

Childhood family adversities and recurrence of depression in adulthood: finds of three ELSA-Brasil visits.

Objective: To investigate the association between family adversities in childhood and depression in three follow-up visits of a cohort of Brazilian adults.

Methods: A total of 12,636 participants from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), who attended three interview/examination visits (2008-2010, 2012-2014, and 2017-2019), were included. Five family dysfunctions and the childhood family dysfunction score (0, 1, and 2+ dysfunctions) were used.

Vestigial human tail and occult spinal dysraphism: A case report.

Background: The presence of a human tail is a rare condition resulting from an embryonic remnant that fits the definition of a caudal appendage. It may be a vestigial (true) or a pseudotail. Both may be considered markers of underlying intraspinal abnormalities.

Implementation and Evaluation of a 10-Week Kettlebell Training Load Distribution on Strength and Aerobic Capacity in Recreationally Trained Women.

Objective: : The purpose of this study was to characterize the dynamic distribution of training loads in a kettlebell program and evaluate its effects on muscle strength and aerobic capacity.

Methods: Fourteen recreationally active women with no kettlebell training experience (age: 25.86 ± 5.

Genetic characterization of paternal lineages by Y-STR in three sample populations in Northeastern Brazil.

Genetic markers of the Y chromosome are powerful tools for investigating paternal ancestry and are widely used in population and forensic genetics. However, in order to obtain statistics with a higher degree of certainty using these markers, it is necessary to obtain haplotypic frequencies from a representative database, as well as knowing the diversity and structure of the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of a sample of 1114 unrelated men from three states in the Northeast of Brazil: Paraíba, Pernambuco and Ceará, through the analysis of 23 Y-STRs and to contribute to the expansion of the Brazilian database on these markers.