Retraction Note: Study of liver toxicity and DNA damage due to exposure to the pesticide Mancozeb in an experimental animal model - A pilot model.

The article "Study of liver toxicity and DNA damage due to exposure to the pesticide Mancozeb in an experimental animal model - A pilot model", by N.D. Suarez Uribe, M.F. Pezzini, J. Dall'Agnol, N. Marroni, S. Benitez, D. Benedetti, J. Da Silva, C.T. Cerski, E. Dallegrave, S. Macedo, S.C.W.S.E.F. de Oliveira, D. Joveleviths, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2023; 27 (13): 6374-6383-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202307_32997-PMID: 37458654 has been retracted by the Editor in Chief for the following reasons: After publication, concerns were raised by an unidentified reader who underlined some similarities between this publication and a previous publication published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Gastroenterology. After being informed, the authors claimed the previous journal published the article without consent, and, therefore, the authors promptly withdrew the previous publication. The retraction published by the other journal does not contain any information regarding the reason for withdrawal. As a matter of fact, the journal does not have any evidence about the authors' claim and still considers this research a duplicate publication. For the above-mentioned reasons, the Editor in Chief decided to withdraw the manuscript. This manuscript has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/32997.

Study of liver toxicity and DNA damage due to exposure to the pesticide Mancozeb in an experimental animal model - A pilot model.

OBJECTIVE: Mancozeb is one of the most widely used Ethylenebisdithiocarbamates fungicides in Brazil. A pilot experimental model was created to evaluate its potential hepatotoxic effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experimental study was performed with 27 male Wistar rats (3 groups). The Control Group received a saline solution, while Intervention Groups I and II received 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg of Mancozeb respectively, once a week, for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements were carried out, and the marker of biological exposure in urine was dosed. Biochemical tests, evaluation micronucleus count, comet and oxidative stress markers assay, and histological assessment of the liver were also performed. RESULTS: The hepatotoxic effect of Mancozeb was confirmed by anthropometric measurements, genotoxicity, and oxidative stress. Statistically significant results were found when the exposed groups were compared to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results were supported by inflammatory infiltration and balloonization in the treated groups. The experimental model effectively demonstrated the deleterious effect of Mancozeb on the liver.

A first step towards a consensus static in vitro model for simulating full-term infant digestion.

In vitro alternatives to clinical trials are used for studying human food digestion. For simulating infant digestion, only a few models, lacking physiological relevance, are available. Thanks to an extensive literature review of the in vivo infant digestive conditions, a gastrointestinal static in vitro model was developed for infants born at term and aged 28days. The model was applied to the digestion of a commercial infant formula. Kinetics of digestion, as well as the structural evolution, were compared with those obtained while submitting the same formula to the adult international consensus protocol of in vitro static digestion. The kinetics of proteolysis and lipolysis differed according to the physiological stage resulting mainly from the reduced level of enzymes and bile salts, as well as the higher gastric pH in the infant model. This in vitro static model of infant digestion is of interest for scientists, food or pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Leaf Fluctuating Asymmetry and Herbivory of Tibouchina heteromalla in Restored and Natural Environments.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a parameter to measure developmental stability in plants, which can be altered by disturbances, pollution, and biotic factors such as herbivory. We evaluated the effects of environmental stress and herbivory on the FA levels in individuals of Tibouchina heteromalla (Melastomataceae) that occur in natural and undergoing restoration areas in rupestrian grasslands at Serra do Cipó, Brasil. Individuals were collected and measured in seven restored and five natural areas, totalizing 240 individuals. We found that individuals in restored areas had greater leaf area, higher levels of insect herbivory and FA compared to individuals that occurred in natural areas. In both environments, the proportion of individuals with leaf damage caused by herbivory was higher than the proportion of undamaged individuals. In addition, FA was positively correlated with herbivory and total leaf area in both restored and natural areas. These results suggest that more favorable conditions in the restored areas enhanced leaf growth, resulting in higher FA.

Optimization of standard patient radiographic images for chest, skull and pelvis exams in conventional x-ray equipment.

Optimized radiographic techniques for clinical images of chest, skull and pelvis using conventional single-phase, three-phase and high-frequency x-ray units for a standard patient have been developed. Optimization of image contrast and optical density was obtained by using a homogeneous phantom (PEP) and an Anderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom. Image quality was evaluated by nine radiologists in independent analyses, leading to the choice of the optimized technique. A course of action to implement and validate these techniques in other radiographic systems has also been introduced. A realistic-analytic phantom (RAP) was constructed to certify the validation process. The optimized radiographic technique was implemented in the routine of our home hospital radiodiagnostic routine, enabling a reduction in patient doses around 25, 14 and 72%, respectively, for chest, skull and pelvis exams when compared with the previously used techniques. In addition, a corresponding reduction in the x-ray tube load of 68, 14 and 62% for the respective mentioned exams has been observed. In conclusion, implemented optimal techniques can lead to a reduction in the rate of film rejection, thus contributing to a better risk-benefit relationship for the patient and cost-benefit for the radiodiagnostic facility.

Maturity degree of composts from municipal solid wastes evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in association with chemical analysis was applied to assess the maturity reached by the organic fraction of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW) subjected to composting processes with manual and fixed aeration and sampled at different composting times. Thermograms showed that the difference in the treatments, i.e., the manual aeration and the fixed aeration, had no relevant effect on the stabilization and maturation of OM in the substrates. Common thermal effects observed were: a low temperature endotherm assigned to dehydration and/or loss of peripheral polysaccharides chains; a medium temperature exotherm assigned to loss of peptidic structures, and a high temperature exotherm assigned to oxydation and polycondensation of aromatic nuclei of the molecule. Results obtained suggest that in the experimental conditions used, a shorter time of composting (about 30 d) appears adequate, in order to limit the extended mineralization of OM, whereas a prolonged composting time (up to 132 d) would produce a compost of poor quality with high ash content and low OM content.

Assessment of maturity degree of composts from domestic solid wastes by fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies.

Methods of assessment of compost maturity are needed so the application of composted materials to lands will provide optimal benefits. The aim of the present paper is to assess the maturity reached by composts from domestic solid wastes (DSW) prepared under periodic and permanent aeration systems and sampled at different composting time, by means of excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). EEM spectra indicated the presence of two different fluorophores centered, respectively, at Ex/Em wavelength pairs of 330/425 and 280/330 nm. The fluorescence intensities of these peaks were also analyzed, showing trends related to the maturity of composts. The "contour density" of EEM maps appeared to be strongly reduced with composting days. After 30 and 45 days of composting, FT-IR spectra exhibited a decrease of intensity of peaks assigned to polysaccharides and in the aliphatic region. EEM and FT-IR techniques seem to produce spectra that correlate with the degree of maturity of the compost. Further refinement of these techniques should provide a relatively rapid method of assessing the suitability of the compost to land application.

Synchronization of neuronal activity during stimulus expectation in a direction discrimination task.

The dorsal pathway of the primate brain, especially the middle temporal area (MT or V5) and the superior middle temporal area (MST or V5a), is strongly involved in motion detection. The relation between neural firing rates and psychophysical performance has led to the assumption that the neural code used by these areas consists of the relative discharge rates of neuronal populations. As an additional neural code, temporal correlation of neural activity has been suggested. Our study addresses the involvement of such a code in awake monkeys performing a motion discrimination task. We found significant temporal correlations between simultaneously recorded pairs of units in areas MT and MST and other extrastriate cortical areas. Units recorded from the same electrode were more frequently synchronized than units recorded from different electrodes placed within the same or different cortical areas. Activity synchronization was present in the expectation period before stimulus presentation and could not be induced de novo by the stimulus. Rather, we found a contrast-dependent reduction of correlation strength on stimulus onset. Correlation strength did not vary systematically with stimulus directions. We conclude that under the conditions of this study, temporal decorrelation of MT and MST neurons could be used to detect the stimulus, but synchronization does not convey specific information about its direction of motion and therefore is unlikely to contribute to performance in our direction discrimination task. Activity synchronization in the period before stimulus onset could be related to attentive expectation.

[Hereditary pancreatitis]. / Pancreatite hereditária.

Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) is a rare cause of chronic pancreatitis. Recurrent abdominal pain is the most common clinical manifestation, with onset in childhood or adolescence. PURPOSE--Report of a case of HP with atypical presentation and a review of the literature. METHODS--A non-alcoholic patient, without history of abdominal pain, with steatorrhea and malnutrition was investigated. The diagnostic evaluation revealed severe chronic pancreatitis. Two close relatives with early onset calcifying pancreatitis were detected. Epidemiologic and clinical features of HP were reviewed. CONCLUSION--Although uncommon, HP should be regarded in the differential diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. Familial screening of suspected cases should be routinely performed.