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Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of mesenchymal tumors of >50 subtypes. However, STSs represent <1% of types of cancer. Despite this low frequency, the disease is aggressive and treatment, when possible, is based on traditional chemotherapies. A number of cases of resistance to adjuvant therapies have been reported. Metastases are commonly identified in STS patients during diagnosis and the development of effective clinical parameters is crucial for correct management of the disease. The use of biological markers in cancer is a useful tool to determine patient prognosis. Ki-67 is a protein marker for proliferation of somatic cells and is widely used in prognostic studies of various types of tumor, including STSs. Cluster of differentiation 100 (CD100) is a member of the semaphorin family. The family was initially described as axon guidance molecules important for angiogenesis, organogenesis, apoptosis and neoplasia. CD100 was previously utilized as a prognostic factor in tumors and also in STSs. In the present study, protein expression of Ki-67 and CD100 was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in samples of STS patients of the Barretos Cancer Hospital (Barretos, Brazil) to establish prognostic criteria of the disease. Results demonstrate a correlation between CD100 expression and poor prognosis, consistent with a previous study. Moreover, the expression of Ki-67 was identified to correlate with presence of local or locoregional recurrence. To the best of our knowledge, no large casuistic study has revealed this correlation between Ki-67 and local recurrence in STSs. The use of Ki-67 and CD100 as markers in clinical pathological analysis may be suitable as a prognostic criterion in disease progression.

Understanding of microbial communities inhabiting cattle vaginal tract may lead to a better comprehension of bovine physiology and reproductive health being of great economic interest. Up to date, studies involving cattle microbiota are focused on the gastrointestinal tract, and little is known about the vaginal microbiota. This study aimed to investigate the vaginal microbiome in Nellore cattle, heifers and cows, pregnant and non-pregnant, using a culture independent approach. The main bacterial phyla found were Firmicutes (~40-50%), Bacteroidetes (~15-25%) and Proteobacteria (~5-25%), in addition to ~10-20% of non-classified bacteria. 45-55% of the samples were represented by only ten OTUs: Aeribacillus, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Rikenella, Alistipes, Bacillus, Eubacterium, Prevotella and non-classified bacteria. Interestingly, microbiota from all 20 animals could be grouped according to the respiratory metabolism of the main OTUs found, creating three groups of vaginal microbiota in cattle. Archaeal samples were dominated by the Methanobrevibacter genus (Euryarchaeota, ~55-70%). Ascomycota was the main fungal phylum (~80-95%) and Mycosphaerella the most abundant genus (~70-85%). Hormonal influence was not clear, but a tendency for the reduction of bacterial and increase of archaeal populations in pregnant animals was observed. Eukaryotes did not vary significantly between pregnant and non-pregnant animals, but tended to be more abundant on cows than on heifers. The present work describes a great microbial variability in the vaginal community among the evaluated animals and groups (heifers and cows, pregnant and non-pregnant), which is significantly different from the findings previously reported using culture dependent methods, pointing out the need for further studies on this issue. The microbiome found also indicates that the vaginal colonization appears to be influenced by the gastrointestinal community.

Composite materials are those formed by combining two or more different materials to take advantage of the best characteristics of each one. However, due to this heterogeneity, composite materials suffer from non-linear failure modes. Because of this complexity, damage to composite structures cannot be identified by visual inspection or conventional techniques. Therefore, several complex techniques are employed in this type of material, with Machine Learning being the main way of dealing with the excessive data extracted from these techniques. Given the rapidly increasing use of composite materials in real-world applications, the demand for damage assessment (detection, quantification, and localization) methods is increasingly high. This article reviews the main and most recent works on ML methods for the damage assessment of composite structures. The selected studies are then covered in detail to provide researchers with an in-depth comprehension of what is new in ML algorithms for the damage assessment of composite structures. From 2019 to now, there has been a large increase in the number of publications related to damage assessments of composite materials, with a strong predominance of Artificial Neural Networks, Convolutional Neural Networks, and Principal Component Analysis techniques. However, there is still a lack of studies with real cases in real environments. Finally, future research directions and a summary of all selected works are suggested, presenting possible improvements of the state of the art.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of two protein sources (black soldier fly [ Hermetia illucens ] meal [BSFM] vs. fish meal [FM]) on intake target “diet preference” in juvenile Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) by a self‐feeding method (trial 1). Growth, body composition, blood parameters, and immunity genes expression were also evaluated to be correlated with behavioral data (trial 2). Four experimental diets were prepared containing 0%, 33%, 66%, and 100% BSFM as a substitute for FM protein, which were considered treatments T0 (control), T33, T66, and T100, respectively. In trial 1 (32 days), 60 juveniles (77.97 ± 8.5 g, standard error of the mean [SEM]) were randomly distributed in 60 aquariums (40 L). Fish were challenged to select among A, T0 vs. T33; B, T0 vs. T66; C, T0 vs. T100; D, T33 vs. T66; E, T33 vs. T100; and F, T66 vs. T100 using two floating food halls per aquarium to provide different diets. In trial 2, 240 juveniles (2.80 ± 0.25 g) were distributed in 16 tanks (40 L). The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments (T0, T33, T66, and T100) and four replies. Fish were fed (5% body weight [BW]) experimental diets for 2 months. For the trial 1 results, no difference was observed in A, T0 vs. T33 ( p > 0.05). Fish were allowed to select conditions B, C, D, E, and F and preferred the diets containing no or low BSFM content: B = T0, C = T0, D = T33, E = T33, and F = T66 ( p < 0.05). In trial 2, final weight and daily weight gain had lower values when animals were fed 100% FM replacement with BSFM ( p < 0.05). The fish fed T0 showed lower viscerosomatic indices ( p < 0.05). Moisture and total protein were higher in the fish fed T0, but protein content did not differ from T33 ( p > 0.05). Ethereal extract increased with rising BSFM ( p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in glucose, creatinine, total protein, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL), low‐density lipoprotein (LDL), aspartate transaminase (AST), and alanine transaminase (ALT) ( p > 0.05). Total cholesterol, triglycerides, and albumin lowered in fish when increase dietary BSFM ( p < 0.05). gpx , il-8 , il-10 , tnf-α , sod , cat , tlr-1 , myd , and nf-κb did not differ among treatments ( p > 0.05). However, il‐1 β expression increased in T0 and T100 ( p < 0.05). Diets with up to 66% BSFM did not affect performance of juvenile tilapia. However, fish showed a preference for diet containing 33% BSFM.

Mathematical models that describe gas production are widely used to estimate the rumen degradation digestibility and kinetics. The present study presents a method to generate models by combining existing models and to propose the von Bertalanffy-Gompertz two-compartment model based on this method. The proposed model was compared with the logistic two-compartment one to indicate which best describes the kinetic curve of gas production through the semi-automated in vitro technique from different pinto peanut cultivars. The data came from an experiment grown and harvested at the Far South Animal Sciences station (Essul) in Itabela, BA, Brazil and gas production was read at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 20, 24, 28, 32, 48, 72, and 96 h after the start of the in vitro fermentation process. The parameters were estimated by the least squares method using the iterative Gauss-Newton process in the software R version 3.4.1. The best model to describe gas accumulation was based on the adjusted coefficient of determination, residual mean squares, mean absolute deviation, Akaike information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion. The von Bertalanffy-Gompertz two-compartment model had the best fit to describe the cumulative gas production over time according to the methodology and conditions of the present study.

The immune system plays a role in the maintenance of healthy neurocognitive function. Different patterns of immune response triggered by distinct stimuli may affect nervous functions through regulatory or deregulatory signals, depending on the properties of the exogenous immunogens. Here, we investigate the effect of immune stimulation on cognitive-behavioural parameters in healthy mice and its impact on cognitive sequelae resulting from non-severe experimental malaria. We show that immune modulation induced by a specific combination of immune stimuli that induce a type 2 immune response can enhance long-term recognition memory in healthy adult mice subjected to novel object recognition task (NORT) and reverse a lack of recognition ability in NORT and anxiety-like behaviour in a light/dark task that result from a single episode of mild Plasmodium berghei ANKA malaria. Our findings suggest a potential use of immunogens for boosting and recovering recognition memory that may be impaired by chronic and infectious diseases and by the effects of ageing.

Anthracycline doxorubicin (DOX) is still widely used as a chemotherapeutic drug for some solid tumors. Although DOX is highly effective, its side effects are limiting factors, such as cardio, nephro and hepatotoxicity. As such, approaches used to mitigate these adverse effects are highly encouraged. Omega 3 (ω-3), which is a class of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in preclinical bioassays. Thus, we evaluated the protective effects of ω-3 supplementation on hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced by multiple DOX administrations in rodents. Male Wistar rats (10 rats/group) were treated daily with ω-3 (400 mg/kg/day) by gavage for six weeks. Two weeks after the first ω-3 administration, the rats received DOX (3.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, 1×/week) for four weeks. DOX treatment reduced body weight gain increased systemic genotoxicity and caused liver-related (increase in serum ALT levels, thickness of the Glisson’s capsule, compensatory proliferation and p65 levels) and kidney-related (increase in serum urea and creatinine levels, and incidence of tubular dilatation) deleterious outcomes. In contrast, ω-3 supplementation was safe and abrogated the DOX-related enhancement of systemic genotoxicity, serum urea and creatinine levels. Furthermore, ω-3 intervention reduced by 50% the incidence of kidney histological lesions while reducing by 40–50% the p65 protein level, and the proliferative response in the liver induced by DOX. Our findings indicate that ω-3 intervention attenuated the DOX-induced deleterious effects in the liver and kidney. Therefore, our findings may inspire future mechanistical investigations and clinical interventions with ω-3 on the reported outcomes.

Aim: (I) to verify if there are sex differences in respiratory function, respiratory muscle strength, and effort limitation in individuals recovered from severe acute COVID-19 30 months after the initial infection, and (II) to evaluate the influence of length of stay on cardiorespiratory capacity among men and women. Methods: Cross-sectional observational multicentric study with participants from five Brazilian states (São Paulo, Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Brasília). We assessed lung function and respiratory muscle strength by maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and cardiorespiratory fitness by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET). Results: 86 individuals were stratified by sex (48 women and 38 men). Females had significantly longer hospitalization for acute COVID-19 (p < 0.05) and showed a marked reduction in MIP (cmH2O and % predicted). Regarding the CPET, women presented lower V˙O2% predicted, O2 pulse, and oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES, % predicted) (p < 0.05). In addition, women also had greater abnormal combinations between RER < 1.10, OUES < 80% predicted, VE/VVM < 15% [3 (6.2%)] and V˙O2% predicted < 80%, V˙E/V˙CO2 slope and V˙O2/workload < 8.4 mL/min/W [8 (17%)]. The regression analysis showed a significant influence of age, length of hospitalization (< and >10 days), and FEV1/FVC (%) on the V˙O2 peak (mL·kg−1·min−1). Secondarily, we found that women hospitalized for more than 10 days had worse O2 pulse (p = 0.03), OUES % predicted (p < 0.001), and worse V˙O2% predicted (p < 0.009). Conclusion: Women exhibited more pronounced impairments in several key indicators of cardiopulmonary function 30 months post-infection.

Pathological features observed in both human and experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) are endothelial dysfunction and changes in blood components. Blood transfusion has been routinely used in patients with severe malarial anemia and can also benefit comatose and acidotic malaria patients. In the present study Plasmodium berghei -infected mice were transfused intraperitoneally with 200 μL of whole blood along with 20 mg/kg of artemether. ECM mice showed severe thrombocytopenia and decreases in hematocrit. Artemether treatment markedly aggravated anemia within 24 h. Whole blood administration significantly prevented further drop in hematocrit and partially restored the platelet count. Increased levels of plasma angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) remained high 24 h after artemether treatment but returned to normal levels 24 h after blood transfusion, indicating reversal to quiescence. Ang-1 was depleted in ECM mice and levels were not restored by any treatment. Blood transfusion prevented the aggravation of the breakdown of blood brain barrier after artemether treatment and decreased spleen congestion without affecting splenic lymphocyte populations. Critically, blood transfusion resulted in markedly improved survival of mice with ECM (75.9% compared to 50.9% receiving artemether only). These findings indicate that whole blood transfusion can be an effective adjuvant therapy for cerebral malaria.

The existence of free-roaming dogs raises important issues in animal welfare and in public health. A proper understanding of these animals' ecology is useful as a necessary input to plan strategies to control these populations. The present study addresses the population dynamics and the effectiveness of the sterilization of unrestricted dogs using capture and recapture procedures suitable for open animal populations. Every two months, over a period of 14 months, we captured, tagged, released and recaptured dogs in two regions in a city in the southeast region of Brazil. In one of these regions the animals were also sterilized. Both regions had similar social, environmental and demographic features. We estimated the presence of 148 females and 227 males during the period of study. The average dog:man ratio was 1 dog for each 42 and 51 human beings, in the areas without and with sterilization, respectively. The animal population size increased in both regions, due mainly to the abandonment of domestic dogs. Mortality rate decreased throughout the study period. Survival probabilities did not differ between genders, but males entered the population in higher numbers. There were no differences in abundance, survival and recruitment between the regions, indicating that sterilization did not affect the population dynamics. Our findings indicate that the observed animal dynamics were influenced by density-independent factors, and that sterilization might not be a viable and effective strategy in regions where availability of resources is low and animal abandonment rates are high. Furthermore, the high demographic turnover rates observed render the canine free-roaming population younger, thus more susceptible to diseases, especially to rabies and leishmaniasis. We conclude by stressing the importance of implementing educational programs to promote responsible animal ownership and effective strategies against abandonment practices.