Schizophyllan from Schizophyllum commune BRM 060008: Potential application as an inhibitor of lipase.

ß-D-glucan has significant implications in regulating lipid metabolism and preventing diseases associated with lipid accumulation. Schizophyllan (SPG) from Schizophyllum commune fungus is a commercially important ß-glucan with applications in the health food industry, pharmacy, and cosmetics. However, SPG was obtained by submerged culture of the wood-rotting and filamentous fungus S. commune BRM 060008, which may have been isolated from the Cerrado Biome of Brazil. In this study, to confirm that the polysaccharide produced by BRM 060008 strain fermentation was indeed (1→3)(1→6)-ß-D-glucan, it was purified and characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, high-performance size exclusion chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, and methylation analysis. The polysaccharide produced was identified as the ß-D-glucan expected with a high molecular weight (1.093 × 106 g/mol) and the thermogravimetric analysis indicated a maximum degradation temperature of ~324 °C and a 60 % residual weight, lower than commercial SPG. The molecular structure and thermal properties of the ß-D-glucan were similar to the commercial sample. Additionally, the in vitro pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity was evaluated, investigating anti-obesity and anti-lipidemic properties. The results showed unprecedented lipase inhibition activity to SPG prepared using the S. commune strain BRM 060008, making it promising for food and pharmaceutical applications.

Evaluation of Endo 10 mobile application as diagnostic tool in endodontics.

Background: Endodontic diagnosis can be compared to a puzzle, requiring the interpretation of a series of clinical and imaging data. Mobile health, especially mobile application (apps), can assist professionals in endodontic diagnosis. This work aims to evaluate an app - Endo 10 app, designed to assist pulpal and periapical diagnosis based on the patient's signs and symptoms and radiographic data. Material and Methods: A total of 41 dental students and dentists with different levels of expertise (10 multi-specialty clinic professors, 17 residents in endodontics and 14 dental students) were included. The System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to evaluate usability and the Davis' technology acceptance model was used to evaluate usefulness of Endo 10 app. The Mann-Whitney test was performed to compare SUS scores between professors and undergraduate dental students and to compare questions 6 and 7 of the utility test and verify whether participants who understood that the technology was useful also better understood the concepts of endodontic diagnosis. The agreement between professor's diagnosis with the app and professor without the app, and between professor and residents in endodontics with the app were evaluated. Results: The SUS score at the 50th percentile was 77.5, graded as acceptable. No significant difference was observed in the SUS scores when analyzing professors and dental students separately (p = 0.442). Usefulness test showed positive responses ranging between 72% - 100%. No statistically significant difference was observed between questions 6 and 7 of the utility test (p = 0.206), indicating that the group of participants who understood that the technology was useful in endodontic diagnosis was associated with the agreement that the application helped to better understand the concepts related. The diagnosis agreement between professor in the common diagnosis process and professor with app was 100% (31) of cases. The concordance between professor and residents in endodontics with the app was 71% (22) of cases. The differences were associated with resident's misinterpreting the patient's data. Conclusions: The Endo 10 app reached the usability and usefulness requirements. It proved accurate in diagnosing pulpal and periapical pathologies. Key words:Dental education, endodontics, diagnosis, smartphone, dental informatics.

Composition and spatial distribution of floating plastic debris along the estuarine ecocline of a subtropical coastal lagoon in the Western Atlantic.

With the objective of characterizing the composition and spatial distribution of plastic fragments in a subtropical lagoon system, five sample areas affected by various anthropogenic impacts were chosen in the southern part of the Estuarine Lagoon System in Laguna, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The total density of the floating meso- and microplastics encountered was 7.32/m3, with the greatest density in the access channel and external area of the lagoon. Plastic filament was the most abundant and mainly comprised polyester (PET), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) from 0.05 to 0.71 mm2. Fishing and urbanization were the main sources of the meso- and microplastics in the environment. This is the first study to evaluate contamination by meso- and microplastics in the southern part of the Estuarine Lagoon System and provides information about the nature and extent of contamination by plastics in this estuarine ecosystem.

Spatio-seasonal microplastics distribution along a shallow coastal lagoon ecocline within a marine conservation unit.

The aim of our study is to estimate the abundance and sources of floating microplastics (MPs) along a coastal lagoon ecocline in a marine conservation unit (MCU) for implementing effective prevention and mitigation actions in South Brazil. MPs were sampled monthly, and the abundance and size were determined for hard solids, soft plastic, plastic filaments, and paint fragments. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis was performed, and the MPs were classified as polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, polybutadiene, and polystyrene. Downstream areas (outside of the MCU) showed high levels of MPs, during the winter, due to low precipitation and the predominance of S/SE winds. During summer, precipitation increases, and MPs are exported with surface runoff, resulting in lower level of MPs. Outside MCU areas, a high concentration of tourism houses, commercials, and artisanal fisheries were observed, which could contribute to all types of plastic debris found in our study.