The Role of Life Stages in the Sensitivity of Hediste diversicolor to Nanoplastics: A Case Study with Poly(Methyl)Methacrylate (PMMA).

The presence of plastic particles in oceans has been recognized as a major environmental concern. The decrease in particle size increases their ability to directly interact with biota, with particles in the nanometer size range (nanoplastics-NPs) displaying a higher ability to penetrate biological membranes, which increases with the decrease in particle size. This study aimed to evaluate the role of life stages in the effects of poly(methyl)methacrylate (PMMA) NPs on the polychaete Hediste diversicolor, a key species in the marine food web and nutrient cycle. Thus, behavioral (burrowing activity in clean and spiked sediment) and biochemical endpoints (neurotransmission, energy reserves, antioxidant defenses, and oxidative damage) were assessed in juvenile and adult organisms after 10 days of exposure to spiked sediment (between 0.5 and 128 mg PMMA NPs/Kg sediment). Overall, the results show that H. diversicolor is sensitive to the presence of PMMA NPs. In juveniles, exposed organisms took longer to burrow in sediment, with significant differences from the controls being observed at all tested concentrations when the test was performed with clean sediment, whereas in PMMA NP-spiked sediment, effects were only found at the concentrations 8, 32, and 128 mg PMMA NPs/Kg sediment. Adults displayed lower sensitivity, with differences to controls being found, for both sediment types, at 8, 32, and 128 mg PMMA NPs/Kg sediment. In terms of Acetylcholinesterase, used as a marker of effects on neurotransmission, juveniles and adults displayed opposite trends, with exposed juveniles displaying increased activity (suggesting apoptosis), whereas in adults, overall decreased activity was found. Energy-related parameters revealed a generally similar pattern (increase in exposed organisms) and higher sensitivity in juveniles (significant effects even at the lower concentrations). NPs also demonstrated the ability to increase antioxidant defenses (higher in juveniles), with oxidative damage only being found in terms of protein carbonylation (all tested NPs conditions) in juveniles. Overall, the data reveal the potential of PMMA NPs to affect behavior and induce toxic effects in H. diversicolor, with greater effects in juveniles.

Optimized Synthesis of Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanoparticles for the Encapsulation of Flutamide.

Biopolymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have gained significant attention in several areas as an alternative to synthetic polymeric NPs due to growing environmental and immunological concerns. Among the most promising biopolymers is poly(lactic acid) (PLA), with a reported high degree of biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this work, PLA NPs were synthesized according to a controlled gelation process using a combination of single-emulsion and nanoprecipitation methods. This study evaluated the influence of several experimental parameters for accurate control of the PLA NPs' size distribution and aggregation. Tip sonication (as the stirring method), a PLA concentration of 10 mg/mL, a PVA concentration of 2.5 mg/mL, and low-molecular-weight PLA (Mw = 5000) were established as the best experimental conditions to obtain monodisperse PLA NPs. After gelification process optimization, flutamide (FLU) was used as a model drug to evaluate the encapsulation capability of the PLA NPs. The results showed an encapsulation efficiency of 44% for this cytostatic compound. Furthermore, preliminary cell viability tests showed that the FLU@PLA NPs allowed cell viabilities above 90% up to a concentration of 20 mg/L. The comprehensive findings showcase that the PLA NPs fabricated using this straightforward gelification method hold promise for encapsulating cytostatic compounds, offering a novel avenue for precise drug delivery in cancer therapy.

Efficiency of Phage φ6 for Biocontrol of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae: An in Vitro Preliminary Study.

Pseudomonas syringae is a plant-associated bacterial species that has been divided into more than 60 pathovars, with the Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae being the main causative agent of diseases in a wide variety of fruit trees. The most common treatments for biocontrol of P. syringae pv. syringae infections has involved copper derivatives and/or antibiotics. However, these treatments should be avoided due to their high toxicity to the environment and promotion of bacterial resistance. Therefore, it is essential to search for new approaches for controlling P. syringae pv. syringae. Phage therapy can be a useful alternative tool to the conventional treatments to control P. syringae pv. syringae infections in plants. In the present study, the efficacy of bacteriophage (or phage) φ6 (a commercially available phage) was evaluated in the control of P. syringae pv. syringae. As the plants are exposed to the natural variability of physical and chemical parameters, the influence of pH, temperature, solar radiation and UV-B irradiation on phage φ6 viability was also evaluated in order to develop an effective phage therapy protocol. The host range analysis revealed that the phage, besides its host (P. syringae pv. syringae), also infects the Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae CRA-FRU 12.54 and P. syringae pv. actinidiae CRA-FRU 14.10 strains, not infecting strains from the other tested species. Both multiplicities of infection (MOIs) tested, 1 and 100, were effective to inactivate the bacterium, but the MOI 1 (maximum reduction of 3.9 log CFU/mL) was more effective than MOI 100 (maximum reduction of 2.6 log CFU/mL). The viability of phage φ6 was mostly affected by exposure to UV-B irradiation (decrease of 7.3 log PFU/mL after 8 h), exposure to solar radiation (maximum reduction of 2.1 PFU/mL after 6 h), and high temperatures (decrease of 8.5 PFU/mL after 6 days at 37 °C, but a decrease of only 2.0 log PFU/mL after 67 days at 15 °C and 25 °C). The host range, high bacterial control and low rates of development of phage-resistant bacterial clones (1.20 × 10-3) suggest that this phage can be used to control P. syringae pv. syringae infections in plants, but also to control infections by P. syringae pv. actinidiae, the causal agent of bacterial canker of kiwifruit. Although the stability of phage φ6 was affected by UV-B and solar radiation, this can be overcome by the application of phage suspensions at the end of the day or at night.

Vacuum-assisted venous drainage in cardiopulmonary bypass and need of blood transfusion: experience of service.

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience with the vacuum-assisted venous drainage (VAVD) technique in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPBP) and blood transfusion need. METHODS: A retrospective study was made about data from 111 patients who were operated, using VAVD between October 2006 and February 2008, at the Esperança Hospital, Recife, Pernambuco. The necessity of blood transfusion was verified on the single group of patients who underwent VAVD, comparing with sex, age and weigh, before the beginning of the CPBP and during the surgery, using Chi-square test and t-student test. RESULTS: Before the beginning of the CPBP only 10% of patients had need for blood transfusion and 12% during the surgery. It was observed that 17% of women received blood transfusion versus 4.7% of men before the beginning of CPBP (P=0.51), and 38% of women versus 9% of men during the surgery (P<0.001). The weight of patients who received blood transfusion were lower both before the beginning of the CPBP as during the surgery (P=0.049 e P=0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: The VAVD technique has been used safely and satisfactorily, optimizing venous drainage during CPBP, in the hospital that conducted the study. However, prospective and comparative investigations between conventional drainage and VAVD are needed to better clarify this relation with blood transfusion.

Comparação da eficácia da aroeira oral (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) com omeprazol em pacientes com gastrite e sintomas dispepticos: estudo randomizado e duplo-cego / Comparision of the efficacy of oral mastic (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) with omeprazole in patients with gastritis and dyspeptic symptons: a randomized, double-blind

Objetivo: comparar a eficácia e segurança da aroeira oral (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) versus omeprazol no tratamento de pacientes com sintomas dispépticos associados à gastrite. Métodos: este estudo clínico foi prospectivo, randomizado e duplo-cego. Setenta e dois pacientes com gastrite confirmada pelo exame endoscópico e anatomopatológico foram aleatoriamente convidados a receber comprimidos de aroeira ou omeprazol, por quatro semanas. A eficácia foi avaliada pelo desaparecimento ou melhora dos sintomas e pela melhora dos achados endoscópicos e histopatológicos. A avaliação do relato de incidência de efeitos adversos do medicamento também foi feita por questionário padronizado. Exames de endoscopia digestiva alta e anatomopatológicos foram realizados antes do tratamento e após o término da terapia. Resultados: a melhora percentual dos sintomas foi maior no grupo da aroeira, mas a diferença não foi estatisticamente significativa. Também não houve diferença significativa nos resultados dos achados endoscópicos e histopatológicos entre os dois grupos. Conclusão: aroeira se mostrou tão eficiente quanto omeprazol no tratamento dos sintomas dispépticos em pacientes com gastrite.

Objective: to compare the efficacy and safety of aroeira oral (Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) versus omeprazole in the treatment of patients with dyspeptic symptoms associated with gastritis. Methods: this was a randomized, doubleblind clinical study. Seventy two patients with gastritis were randomly assigned to receive aroeira or omeprazole daily. Efficacy was assessed by evaluating improvement on endoscopic and hystopathologics findings and by symptom disappearance rates. Safety was assessed by recording incidence of any adverse drug reactions. Upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy was conducted at baseline and after therapy. Results: there were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the two groups. Symptom disappearance rates were higher in the aroeiras group but the difference was not significant. There was also no significant difference in the result of endoscopic and hystopathologic data between the groups. Conclusion: aroeira appears to be as effective as omeprazole for gastritis-associated dyspeptics symptoms in gastritis patients.

Tromboembolismo pulmonar em pacientes com retocolite ulcerativa / Pulmonary thromboembolism in patient with ulcerative rectocolitis

Os autores apresentam o caso de uma paciente de 42 anos,portadora de Retocolite Ulcerativa Inespecífica (RCUI) assintomática há 6 anos, sem tratamento adequado. Foi internada após surgirem sintomas da doença em atividade (febre, astenia, diarreia sanguinolenta), realizou tratamento e recebeu alta. Posteriormente, retornou com queixa de edema em panturrilha esquerda, sendo diagnosticada Trombose Venosa Profunda (TVP) e utilizado heparina, que após 24h foi suspensa pelo fato da paciente ter apresentado hematoquezia intensa. Três dias após, a paciente apresentou quadro de desconforto respiratório e dor torácica, recebendo o diagnóstico de Tromboembolismo Pulmonar (TEP). Foi colocado filtro de veia cava inferior e iniciado heparinização com Marevan®, que foi suspenso seis meses depois. Atualmente, encontra-se em acompanhamento no ambulatório de Gastroenterologia do Hospital das Clínicas (HC) ­ UFPE, sem queixas, emuso de Sulfassalazina.

The authors present a case of a 42 year-old patient who developed Inespecifi c Ulcerative Rectocolitis, being asymptomatic for six years, without adequate treatment. She was interned after the appearance of symptoms of the disease in activity (fever, asthenia, bloody diarrhea). She underwent treatement and was discharged. Afterwards, she returned complaining about edema in the left calf, being diagnosed of a Deep Venous Thrombosis and using heparin that was suspended after 24 hours, because the patient developed intense hematochezia. After three days, the patient had respiratory discomfort and thoracic pain, and was diagnosed of a pulmonary thromboembolism, and was initialized a filter to the inferior vena cava and was used heparinezation with Marevan®, which was suspended six months later. Nowadays, the patient is accompanied by the Gastroenterology ambulatory of Hospital das Clinicas-Pernambuco, without complaints, using Sulfassalazin.