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BACKGROUND: Pharmacotherapy follow-up and pharmacovigilance are activities done exclusively by the community pharmacist, within the framework of pharmaceutical care. The first is patient-oriented and helps in the detection of drug-related negative medication outcomes – NMO (of necessity, effectiveness, or safety) and drug-related problems – DRP (availability, prescription, dispensing, administration, quality, or use), while the second is oriented to medications and their safety, by systematically evaluating Adverse Drug Reactions – ADRs and their causality. OBJECTIVE: To identify potential NMOs and DRPs associated with the use of medications in ambulatory patients through pharmacotherapeutic follow-up and pharmacovigilance activities. METHODS: Of the total number of patients for whom the medication was authorized, the minimum statistical sample (CI=95%, α=5%) was calculated for each drug, and a literature review was performed to determine the criteria for the evaluation of necessity, effectiveness, and safety. RESULTS: Patients showed good adherence to the evaluated drugs, being the lowest found of 72,4% for acetaminophen/hydrocodone. An incidence of DNO of 24,4% was found, being the nonquantitative lack of safety DNOs the most frequent (17,8%); the incidence of DRP was 22,6%, being the inappropriate use of the medication the most relevant (17,3%). Drug interactions found during the process were intervened with the patient or physician, as necessary. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacotherapy follow-up and pharmacovigilance are important activities, especially in outpatients, since it allows the identification and early intervention of DNO and DRP to avoid the detriment of the patient's health.

In this study, we research the innovative application of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as corrosion inhibitors in Portland cement embedded steel. The physicochemical properties of the dispersion solutions were evaluated, varying the storage time, to analyze their effect on corrosion resistance. Using a dispersion energy of 440 J/g and a constant molarity of 10 mM, stable dispersions were achieved for up to 3 weeks. These dispersions were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and Zeta potential spectroscopy to assess the stability and structural damage of the MWCNTs. These results show that the addition of MWCNTs not only reduces the porosity of the cement matrix, but also forms an effective barrier against chloride ion intrusion, protecting the reinforcing steel. This approach stands out for combining improved mechanical properties and significant corrosion resistance, representing a promising innovation in the development of more durable construction materials.

Nowadays, nanomaterials in cement pastes are among the most important topics in the cement industry because they can be used for several applications. For this reason, this work presents a study about the influence of changing the molarity of dispersed multiple wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and varying the number of storage days on the mechanical properties of the cement paste. To achieve this objective, dispersions of 0.35% MWCNTs, varying the molarity of the surfactant as 10 mM, 20 mM, 40 mM, 60 mM, 80 mM, and 100 mM, were performed. The mixture of materials was developed using the sonication process; furthermore, materials were analyzed using UV-Vis, Z-potential, and Raman spectroscopy techniques. Materials with a molarity of 10 mM exhibited the best results, allowing them to also be stored for four weeks. Regarding the mechanical properties, an increase in the elastic modulus was observed when MWCNTs were included in the cement paste for all storage times. The elastic modulus and the maximum stress increased as the storage time increased.

BACKGROUND: Ophidian accidents have been recognized as public health events in Colombia since 2004 and have been systematically reported since 2007, constituting a significant public health problem. One of the components present in the venoms of Viperidae snakes is the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzyme, playing a fundamental role in snakebite poisoning and responsible for many of the local effects that are not neutralized by antivenoms, the only treatment approved for the management of these accidents. Traditional herbal treatments hold promise, with ethnopharmacological studies emphasizing compounds, particularly pentacyclic triterpenes, as potential inhibitors of PLA2. OBJECTIVE: To identify compounds with the potential to reduce or neutralize the local effects generated by PLA2, present in the venom of snakes of the Viperidae family, the major cause of ophidian accidents in Colombia. METHODS: Four triterpenic compounds (madecassic acid, ursolic acid, betulinic acid, and oleanolic acid) were evaluated to determine the inhibitory capacity on the enzymatic activity of myotoxic phospholipase A2, extracted from Crotalus durissus cumanensis venom and purified by RP-HPLC. To determine the inhibitory capacity of the compounds against the enzymatic activity of PLA2, the synthetic monodisperse substrate 4-nitro-3- (octanoloxy) benzoic acid was used. Molecular docking was also performed to identify by visual inspection the interactions between the compounds and the active site of the enzyme. RESULTS: The highest percentage of inhibition was presented by ursolic acid (47.01%). This is supported by the results of the molecular docking, where this compound was found to have interactions with Leu2, Phe24, Tyr52, and Lys69, amino acids involved in the catalytic activity of the enzyme. CONCLUSIONS: Ursolic acid was determined as the most promising compound among the four evaluated against the local effects generated by PLA2. Future studies may be performed to determine other potential benefits of these compounds versus other biological actions of the enzyme.

The extinction of megafauna in the Neotropics is thought to have reduced the potential of large seeds to be dispersed over long distances by endozoochory (ingestion by animals), but some seed dispersal systems have not been considered. We describe the role of oilbirds ( Steatornis caripensis ) as seed dispersers, in terms of seed width and dispersal distance (using GPS tracking devices), and we compare with data reported for other animals. Oilbirds dispersed seeds up to 29 mm wide, with a mean dispersal distance of 10.1 km (range 0–47.6 km). Some components of seed dispersal by oilbirds are outliers compared to that of other frugivores, such as the relationship between maximum seed width and body weight (however, few other extant specialized frugivores are also outliers). Estimates of mean dispersal distance by oilbirds are the largest reported, and we confirm that some living frugivores currently fulfil roles of seed dispersers and ecosystem services previously assumed to be only performed by extinct species.

This study shows the energy optimization and stabilization in the time of solutions composed of H2O + TX-100 + Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs), used to improve the mechanical properties of Portland cement pastes. For developing this research, sonication energies at 90, 190, 290, 340, 390, 440, 490 and 590 J/g are applied to a colloidal substance (MWCNTs/TX-100 + H2O) with a molarity of 10 mM. Raman spectroscopy analyses showed that, for energies greater than 440 J/g, there are ruptures and fragmentation of the MWCNTs; meanwhile at energies below 390 J/g, better dispersions are obtained. The stability of the dispersion over time was evaluated over 13 weeks using UV-vis spectroscopy and Zeta Potential. With the most relevant data collected, sonication energies of 190, 390 and 490 J/g, at 10 mM were selected at the first and the fourth week of storage to obtain Portland cement specimens. Finally, we found an improvement of the mechanical properties of the samples built with Portland cement and solutions stored for one and four weeks; it can be concluded that the MWCNTs improved the hydration period.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1)/programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD‐L1) pathway have transformed urothelial cancer (UC) therapy. The correlation between PD‐L1 expression and ICI effectiveness is uncertain, leaving the role of PD‐L1 as a predictive marker for ICI efficacy unclear. Among several ways to enhance the efficacy of ICI, trials are exploring combining ICIs with serine/threonine‐protein kinase mTOR (mTOR) inhibitors in different tumor types. The potential interaction between mTOR inhibitors and PD‐L1 expression in UC has not been well characterized. In our study, we investigated how phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR pathway inhibitors (TAK‐228, everolimus and TAK‐117) affect PD‐L1 expression and function in preclinical bladder cancer cell models. TAK‐228 increased cell surface levels of glycosylated PD‐L1 in all but one of the seven cell lines, regardless of baseline levels. TAK‐228 promoted the secretion of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and interferon‐β (IFNβ), both linked to PD‐L1 protein induction. Blocking EGF and IFNβ receptors reversed the TAK‐228‐induced PD‐L1 increase. Additionally, TAK‐228 enhanced IFN‐γ‐induced PD‐L1 expression and intracellular HLA‐I levels in some cells. TAK‐228‐treated bladder cancer cells exhibited resistance to the cytotoxic effects of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8)+ T cells. The addition of an anti‐PD‐L1 antibody diminished this resistance in T24 cells. Increased expression of PD‐L1 under TAK‐228 exposure was confirmed in patient‐derived explants (PDEs) treated ex vivo. These preclinical findings suggest that mTOR inhibition with TAK‐228 can increase PD‐L1 levels, potentially impacting the specific immune response against UC cells. This highlights the rationale for exploring the combination of mTOR inhibitors with ICIs in patients with advanced UC. mTOR inhibition with TAK‐228 can increase PD‐L1 levels, potentially impacting the specific immune response against bladder cancer cell lines.

In the first part of the paper, we modeled and characterized the underwater radio channel in shallowwaters. In the second part,we analyze the application requirements for an underwaterwireless sensor network (U-WSN) operating in the same environment and perform detailed simulations. We consider two localization applications, namely self-localization and navigation aid, and propose algorithms that work well under the specific constraints associated with U-WSN, namely low connectivity, low data rates and high packet loss probability. We propose an algorithm where the sensor nodes collaboratively estimate their unknown positions in the network using a low number of anchor nodes and distance measurements from the underwater channel. Once the network has been self-located, we consider a node estimating its position for underwater navigation communicating with neighboring nodes. We also propose a communication system and simulate the whole electromagnetic U-WSN in the Castalia simulator to evaluate the network performance, including propagation impairments (e.g., noise, interference), radio parameters (e.g., modulation scheme, bandwidth, transmit power), hardware limitations (e.g., clock drift, transmission buffer) and complete MAC and routing protocols. We also explain the changes that have to be done to Castalia in order to perform the simulations. In addition, we propose a parametric model of the communication channel that matches well with the results from the first part of this paper. Finally, we provide simulation results for some illustrative scenarios.

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) using electromagnetic (EM) technology in marine shallow waters are examined, not just for environmental monitoring but for further interesting applications. Particularly, the use of EM waves is reconsidered in shallow waters due to the benefits offered in this context, where acoustic and optical technologies have serious disadvantages. Sea water scenario is a harsh environment for radiocommunications, and there is no standard model for the underwater EM channel. The high conductivity of sea water, the effect of seabed and the surface make the behaviour of the channel hard to predict. This justifies the need of link characterization as the first step to approach the development of EM underwater sensor networks. To obtain a reliable link model, measurements and simulations are required. The measuring setup for this purpose is explained and described, as well as the procedures used. Several antennas have been designed and tested in low frequency bands. Agreement between attenuation measurements and simulations at different distances was analysed and made possible the validation of simulation setups and the design of different communications layers of the system. This leads to the second step of this work, where data and routing protocols for the sensor network are examined.

Neste artigo, se apresentam os resultados de um trabalho com a metodologia qualitativa de cunho interpretativista feito para refletir sobre o momento atual de ELE na Colômbia e proponer uma unidade didática baseada na perspectiva acional (Puren, 2012) para a abordagem de aspectos sociais de Medellín em estudantes de níveis avançados. O resultado que foi obtido do desenho do material permitiu explorar o ensino do espanhol a partir de novas didáticas e perspectivas, especificamente a partir de uma perspectiva crítica e acional.