Effect of glyphosate in Johnsongrass submitted to different soil water potentials.

This work aimed to study the efficiency of herbicide glyphosate to control Johnsongrass plants (Sorghum halepense) in different phenological stages of development and when submitted to different types of soil water potentials. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design, with four repetitions. The treatments were arranged in a triple factor scheme 3 × 3 × 2, being: three soil water conditions [no water deficit (-0.03 MPa), intermediate water deficit (-0.07 MPa), and high water deficit (-1.5 MPa)], associated with three doses of glyphosate (0.0, 270.0, and 540.0 g a.e. ha-1) applied in two phenological stages (4-6 leaves and 1-3 tillers). Visual control evaluations were conducted at 7, 14, 21, and 35 days after the herbicide application. Biometric and morphophysiological parameters were also analyzed. With the increase of water restriction, there was a decrease in Johnsongrass morphophysiological components, such as specific leaf area, stomatal conductance, and the difference between environment and leaf temperature, as well as the accumulation of aerial part and roots dry matter, independently of the phenological stage evaluated. The development stage of Johnsongrass influenced the control provided by glyphosate, independently of the dose used. The different water deficits studied reduced the control of glyphosate in the two Johnsongrass development stages evaluated. Severe water deficits reduced the control of glyphosate in Johnsongrass using the recommended dose. In conditions of moderate water deficit, the control was not affected. Thus, the control with lower doses can be the most affected by water deficit.

Redox profiles of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis lymphoblasts with or without known SOD1 mutations.

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal and rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons. This disease is associated with oxidative stress especially in mutant superoxide dismutase 1 (mutSOD1) patients. However, less is known for the most prevalent sporadic ALS form, due to a lack of disease models. Here, we studied oxidative stress profiles in lymphoblasts from ALS patients with mutSOD1 or unknown (undSOD1) mutations. METHODS: mutSOD1 and undSOD1 lymphoblasts, as well as sex/age-matched controls (3/group) were obtained from Coriell and divided into 46 years-old-men (C1), 46 years-old-women (C2) or 26/27 years-old-men (C3) cohorts. Growth curves were performed, and several parameters associated with redox homeostasis were evaluated, including SOD activity and expression, general oxidative stress levels, lipid peroxidation, response to oxidative stimulus, glutathione redox cycle, catalase expression, and activity, and Nrf2 transcripts. Pooled (all cohorts) and paired (intra-cohort) statistical analyses were performed, followed by clustering and principal component analyses (PCA). RESULTS: Although a high heterogeneity among lymphoblast redox profiles was found between cohorts, clustering analysis based on 7 parameters with high chi-square ranking (total SOD activity, oxidative stress levels, catalase transcripts, SOD1 protein levels, metabolic response to mM concentrations of tert-butyl hydroperoxide, glutathione reductase activity, and Nrf2 transcript levels) provided a perfect cluster segregation between samples from healthy controls and ALS (undSOD1 and mutSOD1), also visualized in the PCA. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show distinct redox signatures in lymphoblasts from mutSOD1, undSOD1 and healthy controls that can be used as therapeutic targets for ALS drug development.

Effect of different soil water managements on the selectivity of fomesafen in conventional and RR soybean.

The study aimed to study the selectivity of the herbicide fomesafen, sprayed at different growth stages of the conventional and RR soybean cultivars, under different soil water managements. Two soybean cultivars were used: MG/BR 46 Conquista (conventional) and BRS Valiosa (RR), submitted to the spraying of fomesafen at two phenological stages (V2-first open trefoil; V4-third open trefoil), under three soil water conditions (-0.03, -0.07, and -0.5 MPa). Under water scarcity conditions, soybean plants have lower visual phytotoxicity when subjected to the spraying of the herbicide fomesafen. There were anatomical differences between the leaf blades of the conventional (MG/BR 46 Conquista) and transgenic (BRS Valiosa - RR) cultivars, and the water scarcity changed the anatomy of the soybean plants. The condition of moderate water shortage (-0.07 MPa) led the conventional cultivar to present a lower development than the transgenic cultivar. The transgenic cultivar had a greater ability to sustain the biological nitrogen fixation under moderate water shortage conditions (-0.07 MPa) than the conventional cultivar.

Species richness and distribution patterns of the snake fauna of Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil.

The Neotropics are one of the richest regions in biodiversity globally. Still, much remains unknown about the mechanisms and processes responsible for the accumulation of species in this region. Among the many limitations on our current knowledge on the region's biodiversity, understanding of community composition and species distributions is limited and greatly biased in many Brazilian regions. We present information on species composition, habitat use, geographic distribution, taxonomic accounts, and conservation of snakes from Rio Grande do Norte state, Northeastern Brazil. We compiled, from primary and literature data, 851 snake records from seven families and 47 species, with five new records for the state. Species are mainly terrestrial and semi-arboreal and associated with at least six vegetation types from Caatinga and Atlantic Forest domains. None of the species is listed in threatened categories of IUCN, while two species are listed in the Brazilian Threatened Fauna list. Our data covers 32.34% of the state's area, a consequence of locally limited inventories and lack of long-term studies on snakes' fauna. The richest areas within the state are near large cities, which lack protected areas for the species they harbor, and highlights the necessity of protective policies and conservation actions.

Hormesis of 2,4-D choline salt in productive aspects of cotton.

The stimulating effect of a low dose of a substance considered to be toxic is known as hormesis. The aim of this work was to use dose-response curves to evaluate the hormesis effect provided by sub-doses of the herbicide 2,4-D choline salt on the productivity of cotton at different phenological stages. The experimental design was based on randomized blocks, with four repetitions and the treatments were distributed in a 9x3 factorial design, with nine fractions of the mean label dose of the herbicide 2,4-D choline salt formulation (0 (control); 0.4275; 0.855; 1.71; 3.42; 8.55; 17.1; 34.2 and 68.4 g a.e. ha-1) associated with three different phenological stage of cotton, namely: V4, B4 and C4. The plants were evaluated as to the main productive parameters of the cotton plant. When applied at the V4 stage, sub-doses of the herbicide 2,4-D choline salt negatively affect the cotton crop. Sub-doses between 0.82 and 2.23 g a.e. ha-1 of the herbicide 2,4-D choline salt applied at the B4 stage of cotton can increase all the productive variables of the crop. The productive aspects of cotton plants in the C4 stage were not influenced by the application of sub-doses of 2,4-D choline salt.

ADAM22/LGI1 complex as a new actionable target for breast cancer brain metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths in woman. Brain metastasis is a common and devastating site of relapse for several breast cancer molecular subtypes, including oestrogen receptor-positive disease, with life expectancy of less than a year. While efforts have been devoted to developing therapeutics for extra-cranial metastasis, drug penetration of blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a major clinical challenge. Defining molecular alterations in breast cancer brain metastasis enables the identification of novel actionable targets. METHODS: Global transcriptomic analysis of matched primary and metastatic patient tumours (n = 35 patients, 70 tumour samples) identified a putative new actionable target for advanced breast cancer which was further validated in vivo and in breast cancer patient tumour tissue (n = 843 patients). A peptide mimetic of the target's natural ligand was designed in silico and its efficacy assessed in in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo models of breast cancer metastasis. RESULTS: Bioinformatic analysis of over-represented pathways in metastatic breast cancer identified ADAM22 as a top ranked member of the ECM-related druggable genome specific to brain metastases. ADAM22 was validated as an actionable target in in vitro, ex vivo and in patient tumour tissue (n = 843 patients). A peptide mimetic of the ADAM22 ligand LGI1, LGI1MIM, was designed in silico. The efficacy of LGI1MIM and its ability to penetrate the BBB were assessed in vitro, ex vivo and in brain metastasis BBB 3D biometric biohybrid models, respectively. Treatment with LGI1MIM in vivo inhibited disease progression, in particular the development of brain metastasis. CONCLUSION: ADAM22 expression in advanced breast cancer supports development of breast cancer brain metastasis. Targeting ADAM22 with a peptide mimetic LGI1MIM represents a new therapeutic option to treat metastatic brain disease.

The use of a task through virtual reality in cerebral palsy using two different interaction devices (concrete and abstract) - a cross-sectional randomized study.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is characterised by variable difficulties in muscular action, resulting in inability of the individual to perform functional movement. An option to provide functionality to the individual with CP is the use of computer innovation. The aim of this paper was to verify if there was any performance improvement in a task performed in a virtual environment and if there was transfer to the task performed in the real environment and vice versa in this population. METHODS: A computer program was developed comprising a motor task, but with two possibilities of user interaction: a) concrete interface (with physical contact): in which the individual touches the computer screen to finish the task and b) abstract interface (no physical contact): in which the individual performs a hand movement in front of the Kinect device. Participants were split into two groups. The experimental group consisted of 28 individuals with CP within the ages of 6 and 15 years old. The control group included 28 typically developing individuals mirroring the age and sex of the experimental group. RESULTS: Individuals from both groups were able to improve task performance and retain acquired information. The CP group presented worse performance than the control group in all phases of the study. Further findings showed that the CP group presented better performance in the abstract interface than in the concrete interface, whereas, in the control group, the opposite occurred: their best performance was in the concrete. CONCLUSIONS: Motor tasks performed by individuals with CP through an interface with a more virtual environment feature (abstract interface: Kinect) provided better performance when compared to an interface with a more real characteristic (concrete interface: Touchscreen). TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier - NCT03352440; Date of registration - November 17, 2017.

Estimating synchronous demographic changes across populations using hABC and its application for a herpetological community from northeastern Brazil.

Many studies propose that Quaternary climatic cycles contracted and/or expanded the ranges of species and biomes. Strong expansion-contraction dynamics of biomes presume concerted demographic changes of associated fauna. The analysis of temporal concordance of demographic changes can be used to test the influence of Quaternary climate on diversification processes. Hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (hABC) is a powerful and flexible approach that models genetic data from multiple species, and can be used to estimate the temporal concordance of demographic processes. Using available single-locus data, we can now perform large-scale analyses, both in terms of number of species and geographic scope. Here, we first compared the power of four alternative hABC models for a collection of single-locus data. We found that the model incorporating an a priori hypothesis about the timing of simultaneous demographic change had the best performance. Second, we applied the hABC models to a data set of seven squamate and four amphibian species occurring in the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (Caatinga) in northeastern Brazil, which, according to paleoclimatic evidence, experienced an increase in aridity during the Pleistocene. If this increase was important for the diversification of associated xeric-adapted species, simultaneous population expansions should be evident at the community level. We found a strong signal of synchronous population expansion in the Late Pleistocene, supporting the increase of the Caatinga during this time. This expansion likely enhanced the formation of communities adapted to high aridity and seasonality and caused regional extirpation of taxa adapted to wet forest.

The quantification of testicular cells during the postnatal development in two Caviomorph rodents: the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) and the cutia (Dasyprocta agouti).

The germinative, Sertoli and Leydig cells of two caviomorph rodents (Cavia porcellus and Dasyprocta agouti) were counted as well as the estimation of the total volume of the testis and the total volume of seminiferous tubules and interstitium in prepubertal, pubertal and adult animals. The number of spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids cells increased during the pubertal phase in both rodents, notably the spermatid cells. The spermatocyte and spermatid slightly decreased in the adult of both rodents, but the increment in spermatogonia cells number was seen, mainly in cutias. The number of Sertoli cells increased in pubertal rodents, but in the adult the number reduced. Substantial number of Leydig cells was counted in pubertal and adult guinea pigs. In cutias, the number of Leydig cells increased in pubertal phase and decline in adults. The design-based stereological method has proven to be unbiased and reliable to be applied in reproduction studies.

Suppressed glycolytic metabolism in the prostate of transgenic rats overexpressing calcium-binding protein regucalcin underpins reduced cell proliferation.

Regucalcin (RGN) is a calcium-binding protein underexpressed in human prostate cancer cases, and it has been associated with the suppression of cell proliferation and the regulation of several metabolic pathways. On the other hand, it is known that the metabolic reprogramming with augmented glycolytic metabolism and enhanced proliferative capability is a characteristic of prostate cancer cells. The present study investigated the influence of RGN on the glycolytic metabolism of rat prostate by comparing transgenic adult animals overexpressing RGN (Tg-RGN) with their wild-type counterparts. Glucose consumption was significantly decreased in the prostate of Tg-RGN animals relatively to wild-type, and accompanied by the diminished expression of glucose transporter 3 and glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase. Also, prostates of Tg-RGN animals displayed lower lactate levels, which resulted from the diminished expression/activity of lactate dehydrogenase. The expression of the monocarboxylate transporter 4 responsible for the export of lactate to the extracellular space was also diminished with RGN overexpression. These results showed the effect of RGN in inhibiting the glycolytic metabolism in rat prostate, which was underpinned by a reduced cell proliferation index. The present findings also suggest that the loss of RGN may predispose to a hyper glycolytic profile and fostered proliferation of prostate cells.

Histopathological and in vivo evidence of regucalcin as a protective molecule in mammary gland carcinogenesis.

Regucalcin (RGN) is a calcium-binding protein, which has been shown to be underexpressed in cancer cases. This study aimed to determine the association of RGN expression with clinicopathological parameters of human breast cancer. In addition, the role of RGN in malignancy of mammary gland using transgenic rats overexpressing the protein (Tg-RGN) was investigated. Wild-type (Wt) and Tg-RGN rats were treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene (DMBA). Carcinogen-induced tumors were histologically classified and the Ki67 proliferation index was estimated. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that RGN immunoreactivity was negatively correlated with the histological grade of breast infiltrating ductal carcinoma suggesting that progression of breast cancer is associated with loss of RGN. Tg-RGN rats displayed lower incidence of carcinogen-induced mammary gland tumors, as well as lower incidence of invasive forms. Moreover, higher proliferation was observed in non-invasive tumors of Wt animals comparatively with Tg-RGN. Overexpression of RGN was associated with diminished expression of cell-cycle inhibitors and increased expression of apoptosis inducers. Augmented activity of apoptosis effector caspase-3 was found in the mammary gland of Tg-RGN. RGN overexpression protected from carcinogen-induced mammary gland tumor development and was linked with reduced proliferation and increased apoptosis. These findings indicated the protective role of RGN in the carcinogenesis of mammary gland.

Paradoxical and contradictory effects of imatinib in two cell line models of hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate is a chemotherapeutic drug that inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of c-KIT and has been successfully used to treat leukemias and some solid tumors. However, its application for treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) has shown modest effectiveness and did not follow the outcomes in cultured cells or animal models. Moreover, the molecular pathways by which imatinib induces cytotoxicity in prostate cancer cells are poorly characterized. METHODS: Two cell line models of HRPC (DU145 and PC3) were exposed to 20 µM of imatinib for 6-72 hr. MTS assay was used to assess cell viability during the course of experiment. Gene expression analysis of c-KIT, cell-cycle and apoptosis regulators, and angiogenic factors was determined by means of real-time PCR, western blot, and/or immunocytochemistry. The enzymatic activity of the apoptosis effector, caspase-3, was determined by a colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Imatinib significantly decreased the viability of DU145 cells but paradoxically augmented the viability of PC3 cells. DU145 cells displayed diminished expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein and augmented levels of caspase-8 and -9, as well as, increased enzymatic activity of caspase-3 in response to imatinib. No differences existed on the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins in PC3 cells treated with imatinib, though the activity of caspase-3 was decreased. The mRNA levels of angiogenic factor VEGF were decreased in DU145-treated cells, whereas an opposite effect was seen in PC3. In addition, it was shown that DU145 and PC3 cells present a differential expression of c-KIT protein variants. CONCLUSION: DU145 and PC3 cells displayed a contradictory behavior in response to imatinib, which was underpinned by a distinct expression pattern (or activity) of target regulators of cell-cycle, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. The paradoxical effect of imatinib in PC3 cells may be related with the differential expression of c-KIT protein variants. Moreover, the present findings helped to understand the discrepancies in the efficacy of imatinib as therapeutic option in HRPC.

The diverse roles of calcium-binding protein regucalcin in cell biology: from tissue expression and signalling to disease.

Regucalcin (RGN) is a calcium (Ca(2+))-binding protein widely expressed in vertebrate and invertebrate species, which is also known as senescence marker protein 30, due to its molecular weight (33 kDa) and a characteristically diminished expression with the aging process. RGN regulates intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and the activity of several proteins involved in intracellular signalling pathways, namely, kinases, phosphatases, phosphodiesterase, nitric oxide synthase and proteases, which highlights its importance in cell biology. In addition, RGN has cytoprotective effects reducing intracellular levels of oxidative stress, also playing a role in the control of cell survival and apoptosis. Multiple factors have been identified regulating the cell levels of RGN transcripts and protein, and an altered expression pattern of this interesting protein has been found in cases of reproductive disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Moreover, RGN is a serum-secreted protein, and its levels have been correlated with the stage of disease, which strongly suggests the usefulness of this protein as a potential biomarker for monitoring disease onset and progression. The present review aims to discuss the available information concerning RGN expression and function in distinct cell types and tissues, integrating cellular and molecular mechanisms in the context of normal and pathological conditions. Insight into the cellular actions of RGN will be a key step towards deepening the knowledge of the biology of several human diseases.

Regucalcin is an androgen-target gene in the rat prostate modulating cell-cycle and apoptotic pathways.

BACKGROUND: Regucalcin (RGN) is a calcium (Ca(2+) )-binding protein underexpressed in prostate adenocarcinoma comparatively to non-neoplastic prostate or benign prostate hyperplasia cases. Moreover, RGN expression is negatively associated with the cellular differentiation of prostate adenocarcinoma, suggesting that loss of RGN may be associated with tumor onset and progression. However, the RGN actions over the control of prostate cell growth have not been investigated. METHODS: Androgens are implicated in the promotion of prostate cell proliferation, thus we studied the in vivo effect of androgens on RGN expression in rat prostate. The role of RGN modulating cell proliferation and apoptotic pathways in rat prostate was investigated using transgenic animals (Tg-RGN) overexpressing the protein. RESULTS: In vivo stimulation with 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) down-regulated RGN expression in rat prostate. Cell proliferation index and prostate weight were reduced in Tg-RGN, which was concomitant with altered expression of cell-cycle regulators. Tg-RGN presented diminished expression of the oncogene H-ras and increased expression of cell-cycle inhibitor p21. Levels of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, as well as the Bcl-2/Bax protein ratio were increased in prostates overexpressing RGN. Both caspase-3 expression and enzyme activity were decreased in the prostates of Tg-RGN. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of RGN resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptotic pathways, which demonstrated its role maintaining prostate growth balance. Thus, deregulation of RGN expression may be an important event favoring the development of prostate cancer. Moreover, the DHT effect down-regulating RGN expression in rat prostate highlighted for the importance of this protein in prostatic physiology.

Novel microelectrode-based online system for monitoring N2O gas emissions during wastewater treatment.

Clark-type nitrous oxide (N2O) microelectrodes are commonly used for measuring dissolved N2O levels, but have not previously been tested for gas-phase applications, where the N2O emitted from wastewater systems can be directly quantified. In this study, N2O microelectrodes were tested and validated for online gas measurements, and assessed with respect to their temperature, gas flow, composition dependence, gas pressure, and humidity. An exponential correlation between temperature and sensor signal was found, whereas gas flow, composition, pressure, and humidity did not have any influence on the signal. Two of the sensors were tested at different N2O concentration ranges (0-422.3, 0-50, 0-10, and 0-2 ppmv N2O) and exhibited a linear response over each range. The N2O emission dynamics from two laboratory scale sequencing batch reactors performing ammonia or nitrite oxidation were also monitored using one of the microsensors and results were compared with two other analytical methods. Results show that N2O emissions were accurately described with these microelectrodes and support their application for assessing gaseous N2O emissions from wastewater treatment systems. Advantages of the sensors as compared to conventional measurement techniques include a wider quantification range of N2O fluxes, and a single measurement system that can assess both liquid and gas-phase N2O dynamics.

Bayesian DivideMix++ for Enhanced Learning with Noisy Labels.

Leveraging inexpensive and human intervention-based annotating methodologies, such as crowdsourcing and web crawling, often leads to datasets with noisy labels. Noisy labels can have a detrimental impact on the performance and generalization of deep neural networks. Robust models that are able to handle and mitigate the effect of these noisy labels are thus essential. In this work, we explore the open challenges of neural network memorization and uncertainty in creating robust learning algorithms with noisy labels. To overcome them, we propose a novel framework called "Bayesian DivideMix++" with two critical components: (i) DivideMix++, to enhance the robustness against memorization and (ii) Monte-Carlo MixMatch, which focuses on improving the effectiveness towards label uncertainty. DivideMix++ improves the pipeline by integrating the warm-up and augmentation pipeline with self-supervised pre-training and dedicated different data augmentations for loss analysis and backpropagation. Monte-Carlo MixMatch leverages uncertainty measurements to mitigate the influence of uncertain samples by reducing their weight in the data augmentation MixMatch step. We validate our proposed pipeline using four datasets encompassing various synthetic and real-world noise settings. We demonstrate the effectiveness and merits of our proposed pipeline using extensive experiments. Bayesian DivideMix++ outperforms the state-of-the-art models by considerable differences in all experiments. Our findings underscore the potential of leveraging these modifications to enhance the performance and generalization of deep neural networks in practical scenarios.

The annonalide diterpene extracted from Casimirella ampla (Miers) reduces inflammatory and antinociceptive events in general models of inflammation.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The plants of the genus Casimirella ampla (Miers) (C. ampla) are extensively used in folk medicine. For a long time, rural communities have been using extracts from its roots for food and therapeutic purposes. The extract is rich in diterpenoid annonalide (Annona), which has antiophidic, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive properties. Inflammation is the body's primary defense mechanism against cell damage and invasion by pathogens, which can trigger acute and chronic inflammatory processes. The first line of treatment for this condition consists of the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but these have numerous associated collateral damages, based on scientific knowledge about diterpenoids from C. ampla, as well as their already reported antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. AIMS OF THE STUDY: Evaluate the effect of Annona in classic models of inflammation and pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Animals were pretreated with Annona (0.1, 1.0 and 10 mg/kg), or Tween 80 (2%), or indomethacin (Indo) (10 mg/kg) orally in the paw edema tests induced by carrageenan (Cg), serotonin (5-HT), histamine, bradykinin, 48/80 and, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), evaluating microscopic lesion scores, migration of leukocytes to the peritoneal cavity, concentration of myeloperoxide (MPO), malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), abdominal contortion test by acetic acid and formalin test. RESULTS: Treatment with Annona compound at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg was more effective in reducing inflammatory, oxidant and nociceptive parameters, as it reduced paw edema induced by carrageenan, through different mediators and migration of inflammatory cells. Furthermore, it worked by reducing the concentration of MPO, MDA, preserving GSH levels and reducing nociception caused by formalin and acetic acid.

Magnetoinductive metasurface of capacitively-loaded split rings for local field homogenization in a 7 T MRI birdcage: A simulation study.

The transmit field B1+ in a 7 T birdcage is inherently inhomogeneous due to the effects of wavelengths on tissue. This work investigates the homogenization of this field through metasurfaces that consist of a two-dimensional planar array of capacitively loaded conducting rings. The metasurfaces are placed in the intermediate space between the head and the birdcage on either side of the head. The periodical structure of this type of metasurface supports magnetoinductive waves because of the mutual inductive coupling existing between the elements of the array. The analysis takes advantage of this coupling and exploits the excitation of a standing magnetoinductive wave across the arrays, which creates a strong local field that contributes to locally homogenize the field of the birdcage. The presence of the arrays does not detune the birdcage, so that they can be used with commercial birdcages that operate both to transmit and to receive.

The impact of pH on the anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of Tetrasphaera-enriched polyphosphate accumulating organisms.

Members of the genus Tetrasphaera are putative polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) that have been found in greater abundance than Accumulibacter in many full-scale enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) wastewater treatment plants worldwide. Nevertheless, previous studies on the effect of environmental conditions, such as pH, on the performance of EBPR have focused mainly on the response of Accumulibacter to pH changes. This study examines the impact of pH on a Tetrasphaera PAO enriched culture, over a pH range from 6.0 to 8.0 under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions, to assess its impact on the stoichiometry and kinetics of Tetrasphaera metabolism. It was discovered that the rates of phosphorus (P) uptake and P release increased with an increase of pH within the tested range, while PHA production, glycogen consumption and substrate uptake rate were less sensitive to pH changes. The results suggest that Tetrasphaera PAOs display kinetic advantages at high pH levels, which is consistent with what has been observed previously for Accumulibacter PAOs. The results of this study show that pH has a substantial impact on the P release and uptake kinetics of PAOs, where the P release rate was >3 times higher and the P uptake rate was >2 times higher at pH 8.0 vs pH 6.0, respectively. Process operational strategies promoting both Tetrasphaera and Accumulibacter activity at high pH do not conflict with each other, but lead to a potentially synergistic impact that can benefit EBPR performance.

Flexor Tendon Injuries in the Pediatric Population.

Flexor tendon injuries are rare in children, posing specific diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This study aims to describe epidemiologic characteristics of flexor tendon injuries in children and evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment. We conducted a retrospective study of patients with acute traumatic flexor tendon injuries treated between 2012 and 2019. We analyzed demographics, lesion mechanism, surgical technique, clinical results, complications, and secondary surgical procedures. Functional results were assessed through the Total Active Mobilization score. Twenty patients were included (n=34 tendons), with median follow-up of 7 months (range, 3-34 months) and median age at time of surgery of 13 years (range, 1-17 years). Male sex was predominant (n=16). The most prevalent injury mechanism was a cut (n=17), mostly affecting the 4th digit (n=10) and Verdan's zone II (n=13). Modified Kessler was the suture technique most commonly used (n=31), and polypropylene was the preferred suture material (n=19). All patients were immobilized with a splint for a median time of 4 weeks (range, 1-7 weeks). According to the Total Active Mobilization score, 15 patients reached a score greater than 75%, independently of age (P>.05). Stiffness was the main complication observed. Complications were identified in 37% of patients and were most common in those older than age 10 years (P>.05) and those with zone II lesions (P>.05). Four patients (20%) needed a second surgical intervention. Flexor tendon injuries in children are relatively uncommon and prevail in the male sex, similarly to the adult population. The principal complication observed was stiffness, which was more prevalent in children older than age 10 years, although without relevant functional implications, as surgical treatment enabled good or excellent outcomes in 75% of patients. [Orthopedics. 2023;46(2):82-85.].