Explore the vast range of titles available.

In this research, products with high quality were obtained from natural sources. The sensorial qualities, chemical characterization, and physical properties of gelatin extracted from chicken feet were compared with commercial gelatins. The extraction process was performed using acetic acid on a concentration ranging from 0.318% to 3.682%, processing time between 1.0 h and 8.4 h and extraction temperature between 43.3 °C and 76.8 °C. After the end of each assay, the yield was measured. Results showed that, under the best conditions, the collagen extraction yield was above 8%, and comprised 78.525 g/100 g of protein. Collagen analyzed by ICP-MS was composed of 99.44% of macro-minerals that are of great importance to human health. ATR-FTIR analysis showed that approximately 70.90% of the total protein from chicken feet is collagen, whereas, in commercial gelatin, only 30.31% is collagen. When comparing chicken gelatin with commercial gelatin, most sensory attributes were similar and chicken gelatin gained acceptance by more than 80% of the consumers. Additionally, the collagen films obtained from chicken feet and swine showed water absorption, odors, and texture characteristics similar to commercial material, such as latex and celofane. Consequently, due to its similarity to human skin, it is possible to apply it as a biocurative.

AbstractObjectiveTo determine whether tocilizumab improves clinical outcomes for patients with severe or critical coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19).DesignRandomised, open label trial.SettingNine hospitals in Brazil, 8 May to 17 July 2020.ParticipantsAdults with confirmed covid-19 who were receiving supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation and had abnormal levels of at least two serum biomarkers (C reactive protein, D dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, or ferritin). The data monitoring committee recommended stopping the trial early, after 129 patients had been enrolled, because of an increased number of deaths at 15 days in the tocilizumab group.InterventionsTocilizumab (single intravenous infusion of 8 mg/kg) plus standard care (n=65) versus standard care alone (n=64).Main outcome measureThe primary outcome, clinical status measured at 15 days using a seven level ordinal scale, was analysed as a composite of death or mechanical ventilation because the assumption of odds proportionality was not met.ResultsA total of 129 patients were enrolled (mean age 57 (SD 14) years; 68% men) and all completed follow-up. All patients in the tocilizumab group and two in the standard care group received tocilizumab. 18 of 65 (28%) patients in the tocilizumab group and 13 of 64 (20%) in the standard care group were receiving mechanical ventilation or died at day 15 (odds ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 3.66; P=0.32). Death at 15 days occurred in 11 (17%) patients in the tocilizumab group compared with 2 (3%) in the standard care group (odds ratio 6.42, 95% confidence interval 1.59 to 43.2). Adverse events were reported in 29 of 67 (43%) patients who received tocilizumab and 21 of 62 (34%) who did not receive tocilizumab.ConclusionsIn patients with severe or critical covid-19, tocilizumab plus standard care was not superior to standard care alone in improving clinical outcomes at 15 days, and it might increase mortality.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04403685.

Paper-based analytical devices (PADs) are powerful platforms for point-of-need testing since they are inexpensive devices fabricated in different shapes and miniaturized sizes, ensuring better portability. Additionally, the readout and detection systems can be accomplished with portable devices, allying with the features of both systems. These devices have been introduced as promising analytical platforms to meet critical demands involving rapid, reliable, and simple testing. They have been applied to monitor species related to environmental, health, and food issues. Herein, an outline of chronological events involving PADs is first reported. This work also introduces insights into fundamental parameters to engineer new analytical platforms, including the paper type and device operation. The discussions involve the main analytical techniques used as detection systems, such as colorimetry, fluorescence, and electrochemistry. It also showed recent advances involving PADs, especially combining optical and electrochemical detection into a single device. Dual/combined detection systems can overcome individual barriers of the analytical techniques, making possible simultaneous determinations, or enhancing the devices’ sensitivity and/or selectivity. In addition, this review reports on distance-based detection, which is also considered a trend in analytical chemistry. Distance-based detection offers instrument-free analyses and avoids user interpretation errors, which are outstanding features for analyses at the point of need, especially for resource-limited regions. Finally, this review provides a critical overview of the practical specifications of the recent analytical platforms involving PADs, demonstrating their challenges. Therefore, this work can be a highly useful reference for new research and innovation. Graphical Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the major crops worldwide and flooding stress affects the production and expansion of cultivated areas. Oxygen is essential for mitochondrial aerobic respiration to supply the energy demand of plant cells. Because oxygen diffusion in water is 10,000 times lower than in air, partial (hypoxic) or total (anoxic) oxygen deficiency is important component of flooding. Even when oxygen is externally available, oxygen deficiency frequently occurs in bulky, dense or metabolically active tissues such as phloem, meristems, seeds, and fruits. In this study, we analyzed conserved and divergent root transcriptional responses between flood-tolerant Embrapa 45 and flood-sensitive BR 4 soybean cultivars under hypoxic stress conditions with RNA-seq. To understand how soybean genes evolve and respond to hypoxia, stable and differentially expressed genes were characterized structurally and compositionally comparing its mechanistic relationship. Between cultivars, Embrapa 45 showed less up- and more down-regulated genes, and stronger induction of phosphoglucomutase (Glyma05g34790), unknown protein related to N-terminal protein myristoylation (Glyma06g03430), protein suppressor of phyA-105 (Glyma06g37080), and fibrillin (Glyma10g32620). RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis of non-symbiotic hemoglobin (Glyma11g12980) indicated divergence in gene structure between cultivars. Transcriptional changes for genes in amino acids and derivative metabolic process suggest involvement of amino acids metabolism in tRNA modifications, translation accuracy/efficiency, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in both cultivars under hypoxia. Gene groups differed in promoter TATA box, ABREs (ABA-responsive elements), and CRT/DREs (C-repeat/dehydration-responsive elements) frequency. Gene groups also differed in structure, composition, and codon usage, indicating biological significances. Additional data suggests that cis-acting ABRE elements can mediate gene expression independent of ABA in soybean roots under hypoxia.

The communication channel is a critical part of the process of information degradation. In the 4K ultra-resolution video transmission domain, the communication channel is a crucial part where information degradation occurs, inevitably leading to errors during reception. To enhance the transmission process in terms of fidelity, advanced technologies such as digital video broadcasting terrestrial (DVB-T) and its evolutionary successor, digital video broadcasting terrestrial second generation (DVB-T2), are utilized to mitigate the effects of data transmission errors. Within this scenario, this research presents an innovative methodology for the temporal analysis of 4K ultra-resolution video quality under the influence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh channels. This analytical endeavor is facilitated through the application of concatenated coding schemes, specifically, the Bose–Chaudhuri–Hocquenghem concatenated low-density parity check (BCH-LDPC) and Reed–Solomon concatenated convolutional (RS-CONV) coders. A more comprehensive understanding of video quality can be attained by considering its temporal variations, a crucial aspect of the ongoing evolution of technological paradigms. In this study, the Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) serves as the main metric for quality assessment during simulations. Furthermore, the simulated Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) values validate these findings, exhibiting consistent alignment with the SSIM-based evaluations. Additionally, the performance of the BCH-LDPC significantly outperforms that of RS-CONV under the 64-QAM modulation scheme, yielding superior video quality levels that approximate or surpass those achieved by RS-CONV under QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) modulation, leading to an increase in spectral efficiency. This enhancement is evidenced by SSIM gains exceeding 78% on average. The computation of average gains between distinct technologies in video quality analysis furnishes a robust and comprehensive evaluation framework, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions within this domain.

The present study investigates the effects of xenotransplantation of Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells (AT-MSCs) in animals after ventral root avulsion. AT-MSC has similar characteristics to bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), such as immunomodulatory properties and expression of neurotrophic factors. In this study, Lewis rats were submitted to surgery for unilateral avulsion of the lumbar ventral roots and received 5 × 10 5 AT-MSCs via the lateral funiculus. Two weeks after cell administration, the animals were sacrificed and the moto neurons, T lymphocytes and cell defense nervous system were analyzed. An increased neuronal survival and partial preservation of synaptophysin-positive nerve terminals, related to GDNF and BDNF expression of AT-MSCs and reduction of pro-inflammatory reaction were observed. In conclusion, AT-MSCs prevent second phase neuronal injury, since they suppressed lymphocyte, astroglia and microglia effects, which finally contributed to rat motor-neuron survival and synaptic stability of the lesioned motor-neuron. Moreover, the survival of the injected AT- MSCs lasted for at least 14 days. These results indicate that neuronal survival after lesion, followed by mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) administration, might occur through cytokine release and immunomodulation, thus suggesting that AT-MSCs are promising cells for the therapy of neuronal lesions.

Periodontitis is an infectious disease characterized by the destruction of supporting tissues. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been proposed as an improved method for eliminating microorganisms. Its efficiency depends on the correct use of physical and chemical parameters. Thus, these parameters and their relations were evaluated in this study with the purpose of establishing lethal conditions for combating bacterial agents. Diode lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were characterized to evaluate the absorption profile and resonance of methylene blue (MB) and toluidine blue O (TBO). The relations between light energy density and photosensitizer absorption were determined. Two methodologies were used to evaluate the effects of aPDT against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. LED light exhibited a broad emission spectrum with a peak light wavelength of 637 nm and 99% purity. The resonance intensity of MB was higher with diode laser irradiation, and TBO showed higher resonance intensity with LED irradiation. There was no difference in the absorption profile of photosensitizers using diode lasers or LEDs, and variations in power density did not result in an increasing or decrease in light absorption. A. actinomycetemcomitans was susceptible to photodynamic processes. Emission spectra and peak light wavelengths of light sources combined with the absorption profiles of photosensitizers were the main parameters involved in determining the efficiency of photodynamic effects. Power density did not alter the light absorption of photosensitizers. The association between adequate irradiation characteristics and photosensitizer absorption results in complete inactivation of A. actinomycetemcomitans. In addition, the bactericidal effect was not altered by an increase in energy densities.

IntroductionPre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an important and well-established prevention strategy for sexual acquisition of HIV. In Brazil, transgender women (TGW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) bear the largest burden among key populations. Little is known about preferences for PrEP characteristics in these vulnerable populations in Latin America. The goal of this study is to investigate preferences of TGW and MSM with respect to PrEP characteristics, whether current user or not, and to assess any attributes and levels that may improve the decision to start using PrEP (uptake) and optimal continuity of use (adherence), which are important dimensions for PrEP success.Methods and analysisWe hereby outline the protocol of a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to be conducted among TGW and MSM in Brazil. The study will be carried out in two phases. The first phase involves literature review and qualitative approaches including in-depth interviews to inform the development of the DCE (attributes and levels). The second phase entails the DCE survey and supporting questions pertaining to sociodemographic and risk behaviour information. The survey is aimed at current PrEP users and non-users, consisting of two modes of administration: face to face in five Brazilian capitals (Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Manaus, Porto Alegre and Salvador) and online targeting the entire country. A D-efficient zero-prior blocked experimental design will be used to select 60 paired-profile DCE choice tasks, in which participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups and presented with a set of 15 choice tasks. The planned sample size is 1000 volunteers.Ethics, timeline and disseminationThe study was approved by Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa—Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas—INI/FIOCRUZ, CEP/INI, CAAE 28416220.2.1001.5262, approval number 3.979.759 in accordance with the Comissão Nacional de Ética em Pesquisa (CONEP—Brazilian National Board of Research Ethics). The study will be conducted between 2020 and 2021. The results will be disseminated to the scientific community and to the public in general through publications in published in peer-reviewed journals and in scientific conferences.

The Brazilian Cerrado, recognized as the world's most diverse tropical savanna, has undergone significant land clearance for agriculture, cattle ranching, and charcoal production, leading to considerable loss of its natural vegetation. This deforestation disrupts major aquifers, affecting ecosystems and human populations. The Cerrado Deforestation Monitoring Project (PRODES), active since 2017, systematically maps new deforestation using satellite imagery. This study used GeoDMA, a geospatial data mining tool for analyzing complex spatial databases such as those provided by the PRODES. The study area is the Alto Parnaíba region within the MATOPIBA agricultural frontier, characterized by high rates of crop expansion and burned areas. Using PRODES deforestation data from 2000 to 2023, the study categorizes deforestation patterns into geometric, multidirectional, and diffuse types, associated with large-scale agriculture, smallholder farming, and subsistence agriculture, respectively. The analysis reveals that approximately 50% of land use trajectories are small-scale subsistence agriculture, predominantly in northern Alto Parnaíba. Unchanged large-scale farms are concentrated in the southern part of the study area, linked to annual crops. The transition from small to large-scale farms is significant in the western region. Protected areas, especially strictly protected conservation units, show minimal changes in native vegetation. This study highlights the expansion of large-scale agriculture in MATOPIBA, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to manage land use changes and prevent further deforestation. Future research should extend this approach to other Cerrado ecoregions to improve the detection and analysis of deforestation processes.