Your browser doesn't support javascript.
loading
Show: 20 | 50 | 100
Results 1 - 20 de 304
Filter
1.
Int. braz. j. urol ; 50(3): 287-295, May-June 2024. tab
Article in English | LILACS-Express | LILACS | ID: biblio-1558074

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Purpose: To analyze the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients who survived moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 and the risk factors for LUTS six months after hospitalization. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cohort study, patients were evaluated six months after hospitalization due to COVID-19. LUTS were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score. General health was assessed through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the EQ5D-L5 scale, which evaluates mobility, ability to perform daily activities, pain and discomfort and completed a self-perception health evaluation. Results: Of 255 participants, 54.1% were men and the median age was 57.3 [44.3 - 66.6] years. Pre-existing comorbidities included diabetes (35.7%), hypertension (54.5%), obesity (30.2%) and physical inactivity (65.5%). One hundred and twenty-four patients (48.6%) had a hospital stay >15 days, 181 (71.0%) were admitted to an ICU and 124 (48.6%) needed mechanical ventilation. Median IPSS was 6 [3-11] and did not differ between genders. Moderate to severe LUTS affected 108 (42.4%) patients (40.6% men and 44.4% women; p=0.610). Nocturia (58.4%) and frequency (45.9%) were the most prevalent symptoms and urgency was the only symptom that affected men (29.0%) and women (44.4%) differently (p=0.013). LUTS impacted the quality of life of 60 (23.5%) patients with women more severely affected (p=0.004). Diabetes, hypertension, and self-perception of worse general health were associated with LUTS. Conclusions: LUTS are highly prevalent and bothersome six months after hospitalization due to COVID-19. Assessment of LUTS may help ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment in these patients.

2.
Int Braz J Urol ; 50(3): 287-295, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38498685

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To analyze the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients who survived moderate and severe forms of COVID-19 and the risk factors for LUTS six months after hospitalization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, patients were evaluated six months after hospitalization due to COVID-19. LUTS were assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score. General health was assessed through the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the EQ5D-L5 scale, which evaluates mobility, ability to perform daily activities, pain and discomfort and completed a self-perception health evaluation. RESULTS: Of 255 participants, 54.1% were men and the median age was 57.3 [44.3 - 66.6] years. Pre-existing comorbidities included diabetes (35.7%), hypertension (54.5%), obesity (30.2%) and physical inactivity (65.5%). One hundred and twenty-four patients (48.6%) had a hospital stay >15 days, 181 (71.0%) were admitted to an ICU and 124 (48.6%) needed mechanical ventilation. Median IPSS was 6 [3-11] and did not differ between genders. Moderate to severe LUTS affected 108 (42.4%) patients (40.6% men and 44.4% women; p=0.610). Nocturia (58.4%) and frequency (45.9%) were the most prevalent symptoms and urgency was the only symptom that affected men (29.0%) and women (44.4%) differently (p=0.013). LUTS impacted the quality of life of 60 (23.5%) patients with women more severely affected (p=0.004). Diabetes, hypertension, and self-perception of worse general health were associated with LUTS. CONCLUSIONS: LUTS are highly prevalent and bothersome six months after hospitalization due to COVID-19. Assessment of LUTS may help ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment in these patients.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Diabetes Mellitus , Hypertension , Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms , Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Quality of Life , COVID-19/complications , Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/epidemiology , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology , Hypertension/complications , Hypertension/epidemiology , Prevalence
3.
Nano Lett ; 24(11): 3355-3360, 2024 Mar 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38427975

ABSTRACT

Motivated by recent experimental breakthroughs, we propose a strategy for designing two-dimensional spin-lattices with competing interactions that lead to nontrivial emergent quantum states. We consider S = 1/2 nanographenes with C3 symmetry as building blocks, and we leverage the potential to control both the sign and the strength of exchange with first neighbors to build a family of spin models. Specifically, we consider the case of a Heisenberg model in a triangle-decorated honeycomb lattice with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions whose ratio can be varied in a wide range. On the basis of the exact diagonalization of both Fermionic and spin models, we predict a quantum phase transition between a valence bond crystal of spin singlets with triplon excitations living in a Kagomé lattice and a Néel phase of effective S = 3/2 in the limit of dominant ferromagnetic interactions.

4.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 96(1): e20231201, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38451600

ABSTRACT

Biotechnology offers solutions and opportunities to meet various societal demands, thereby contributing to significant scientific advancements. This study aimed to characterize the technological development of biotechnology in the healthcare sector in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2016 to 2022 by analyzing patents filed by and granted to public and private Higher Education institutions. For data collection, a quantitative exploratory approach was employed using statistical methods and a patent analysis of institutions in the patent database of the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), focusing on patents related to the healthcare field. Data were collected in October, November, and December. A total of 580 patent records were collected from the INPI, belonging to Sections A and C of the International Patent Classification (IPC) related to educational institutions. Furthermore, this study highlighted that higher education institutions have a higher number of patents in the healthcare field. These results provide an understanding of the strategic areas for technological development in biotechnology in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.


Subject(s)
Academies and Institutes , Biotechnology , Brazil , Universities , Databases, Factual
5.
ACS Appl Eng Mater ; 2(2): 415-421, 2024 Feb 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38419976

ABSTRACT

Technological solutions for emerging e-textiles are being sought to enable e-wear technology to be self-sustaining and lightweight. A rippling 1D carbon fiber capacitor design was made with commercial carbon threads as electrodes using simulated sweat solution as the electrolyte. This is particularly relevant for potential sports textile applications in which sweat could serve as an electrochemical energy source. An electrospun cellulose acetate fiber membrane and a commercially available felt were used as separators capable of soaking the electrolyte. These were tested in braided and woven electrode configurations, respectively. Functionalizing the carbon wires with polypyrrole (PPy) enhanced the surface area and significantly increased the specific capacity by approximately an order of magnitude (0.62 F/g). Cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge tests confirmed the washability and durability of the devices for at least 1000 cycles.

7.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 95(3): e20230037, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37878913

ABSTRACT

Researchers have associated the therapeutic potential of probiotics with its ability to modulate gut microbiota, which is considered an "invisible organ" of the human body. The present study investigates the effects of probiotic supplementation on the gut microbiota composition of adults. The authors conducted a systematic review of the literature published in six different databases. The search followed PRISMA guidelines and aimed to identify randomized clinical trials on probiotic supplementation. All relevant publications indexed up to May 28, 2021, were retrieved. Then, the authors defined the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two independent reviewers performed study screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. A total of 2,404 publications were retrieved, and eight studies met the eligibility criteria. The included randomized clinical trials were published between 2015 to 2020. The worldwide studies included adults aged from 18 to 79 years, most of whom were women (66.5%). Only one of the included studies observed significant effects on fecal microbiota composition in the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla in comparison with the placebo treatment. Overall, this systematic review could not draw consistent conclusions on the effects of probiotic supplementation on the gut microbiota composition of adults.


Subject(s)
Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Microbiota , Probiotics , Humans , Adult , Female , Male , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Probiotics/pharmacology , Feces
8.
Sensors (Basel) ; 23(18)2023 Sep 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37765759

ABSTRACT

Air pollution is a global issue that impacts environmental inequalities, and air quality sensors can have a decisive role in city policymaking for future cities. Science and society are already aware that during the most challenging times of COVID-19, the levels of air pollution in cities decreased, especially during lockdowns, when road traffic was reduced. Several pollution parameters can be used to analyse cities' environmental challenges, and it is more pressing than ever to have city climate decisions supported by sensor data. We have applied a data science approach to understand the evolution of the levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter 2.5, and particulate matter 10 between August 2021 and July 2022. The analysis of the air quality levels, captured for the first time via 80 monitoring stations distributed throughout the municipality of Lisbon, has allowed us to realize that nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter 10 exceed the levels that are recommended by the World Health Organization, thereby increasing the health risk for those who live and work in Lisbon. Supported by these findings, we propose a central role for air quality sensors for policymaking in future cities, taking as a case study the municipality of Lisbon, Portugal, which is among the European cities that recently proposed be climate-neutral and smart city by 2030.

9.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37770144

ABSTRACT

Callingcard Vine (Entada polystachya (L.) DC. var. polystachya - Fabaceae) is a common plant in coastal thickets from western Mexico through Central America to Colombia and Brazil, especially in Amazon biome. It has been popularly used as a urinary burning reliever and diuretic. However, the plant chemical constituents are poorly understood and Entada spp. genotoxic potential have not been previously investigated. In the present study we determined the chemical composition of the aqueous E. polystachya crude seed extract (EPCSE) and evaluated the cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic properties of EPCSE in Salmonella typhimurium and Chinese hamster fibroblast (V79) cells. Cytotoxic activity was also evaluated in tumor cell lines (HT29, MCF7 and U87) and non-malignant cells (MRC5). The chemical analysis by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) of EPCSE indicated the presence of saponin and chalcone. The results of the MTT and clonal survival assays suggest that EPCSE is cytotoxic to V79 cells. Survival analysis showed higher IC50 in non-tumor compared with tumor cell lines. EPCSE showed induction of DNA strand breaks as revealed by the alkaline comet assay and micronucleus test. Using the modified comet assay, it was possible to detect the induction of oxidative DNA base damage by EPCSE in V79 cells. Consistently, the extract induced increase lipid peroxidation (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in V79 cells. In addition, EPCSE induced mutations in S. typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains, confirming a mutagenic potential. Taken together, our results suggest that EPCSE is cytotoxic and genotoxic to V79 cells and mutagenic to S. typhimurium. These properties can be related to the pro-oxidant ability of the extract and induction of DNA lesions. Additionally, EPCSE could inhibit the growth of tumor cells, especially human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT29) cell line, and can constitute a possible source of antitumor natural agents.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Fabaceae , Cricetinae , Animals , Humans , Mutagens/toxicity , DNA Damage , Cricetulus , Comet Assay , Cell Line, Tumor , Plant Extracts/toxicity , DNA
10.
J Fungi (Basel) ; 9(8)2023 Aug 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37623608

ABSTRACT

Candida auris is an opportunistic human pathogen that has rapidly spread to multiple countries and continents and has been associated with a high number of nosocomial outbreaks. Herein, we report the first case of C. auris in Portugal, which was associated with a patient transferred from Angola to an ICU in Portugal for liver transplantation after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. C. auris was isolated during the course of bronchoalveolar lavage, and it was subjected to antifungal susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequence analysis. This isolate presents low susceptibility to azoles and belongs to the genetic clade III with a phylogenetic placement close to African isolates. Although clade III has already been reported in Europe, taking into account the patient's clinical history, we cannot discard the possibility that the patient's colonization/infection occurred in Angola, prior to admission in the Portuguese hospital. Considering that C. auris is a fungal pathogen referenced by WHO as a critical priority, this case reinforces the need for continuous surveillance in a hospital setting.

11.
Environ Geochem Health ; 45(10): 7081-7097, 2023 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37542205

ABSTRACT

Exposure to coal mining dust poses a substantial health hazard to individuals due to the complex mixture of components released during the extraction process. This study aimed to assess the oxidative potential of residual coal mining dust on human lymphocyte DNA and telomeres and to perform a chemical characterization of coal dust and urine samples. The study included 150 individuals exposed to coal dust for over ten years, along with 120 control individuals. The results revealed significantly higher levels of DNA damage in the exposed group, as indicated by the standard comet assay, and oxidative damage, as determined by the FPG-modified comet assay. Moreover, the exposed individuals exhibited significantly shorter telomeres compared to the control group, and a significant correlation was found between telomere length and oxidative DNA damage. Using the PIXE method on urine samples, significantly higher concentrations of sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), chlorine (Cl), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and bromine (Br) were observed in the exposed group compared to the control group. Furthermore, men showed shorter telomeres, greater DNA damage, and higher concentrations of nickel (Ni), calcium (Ca), and chromium (Cr) compared to exposed women. Additionally, the study characterized the particles released into the environment through GC-MS analysis, identifying several compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as fluoranthene, naphthalene, anthracene, 7H-benzo[c]fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, chrysene, and some alkyl derivatives. These findings underscore the significant health risks associated with exposure to coal mining dust, emphasizing the importance of further research and the implementation of regulatory measures to safeguard the health of individuals in affected populations.


Subject(s)
DNA Damage , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons , Male , Humans , Female , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/toxicity , Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis , Dust/analysis , Anthracenes/analysis , Coal/toxicity , Coal/analysis , Oxidative Stress
12.
Eur J Pharm Sci ; 188: 106512, 2023 Sep 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37423576

ABSTRACT

Along with the increasing demand for candidate-enabling formulations comes the need for appropriate in vitro bioavailability forecasting. Dissolution/permeation (D/P) systems employing cell-free permeation barriers are increasingly gaining interest, due to their low cost and easy application as passive diffusion bio-predictive profiling in drug product development, as this accounts for nearly 75% of new chemical entities (NCEs) absorption mechanism. To this end, this study comprises theoretical considerations on the design and experimental work towards the establishment and optimization of a PermeaLoop™ based dissolution/permeation assay to simultaneously evaluate the drug release and permeation using Itraconazole (ITZ)-based amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) formulations, with different drug loads, based on a solvent-shift approach. Alternative method conditions were tested such as: donor medium, acceptor medium and permeation barrier were screened using both PermeaPad® and PermeaPlain® 96-well plates. A range of solubilizers, namely Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, Vitamin E-TPGS and hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin, were screened as possible solubilizing additives to the acceptor medium, while donor medium was varied between blank FaSSIF (phosphate buffer) and FaSSIF. The method optimization also included the ITZ dose selection, being the ITZ single dose (100 mg) considered the most adequate to be used in further experiments to allow the comparison with in vivo studies. In the end, a standardized approach that may be applied to predict the bioavailability of weakly basic poorly soluble drug-based formulations is described, contributing to strengthening the analytical portfolio of in vitro pre-clinical drug product development.


Subject(s)
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical , Research Design , Solubility , Biological Availability , Chemistry, Pharmaceutical/methods , Itraconazole
13.
Eur J Pharm Sci ; 188: 106513, 2023 Sep 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37423577

ABSTRACT

Along with the increasing demand for complex formulations comes the need for appropriate in vitro methodologies capable of predicting their corresponding in vivo performance and the mechanisms controlling the drug release which can impact on in vivo drug absorption. In vitro dissolution-permeation (D/P) methodologies that can account for the effects of enabling formulations on the permeability of drugs are increasingly being used in performance ranking during early development stages. This work comprised the application of two different cell-free in vitro D/P setups: BioFLUX™ and PermeaLoop™ to evaluate the dissolution-permeation interplay upon drug release from itraconazole (ITZ)- HPMCAS amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) of different drug loads. A solvent-shift approach was employed, from a simulated gastric environment to a simulated intestinal environment in the donor compartment. PermeaLoop™ was then combined with microdialysis sampling to separate the dissolved (free) drug from other species present in solution, like micelle-bound drug and drug-rich colloids, in real time. This setup was applied to clarify the mechanisms for drug release and permeation from these ASDs. In parallel, a pharmacokinetic study (dog model) was conducted to assess the drug absorption from these ASDs and to compare the in vivo results with the data obtained from each in vitro D/P setup, allowing to infer which would be the most adequate setup for ASD ranking. Even though both D/P systems resulted in the same qualitative ranking, BioFLUX™ overpredicted the difference between the in vivo AUC of two ASDs, whereas PermeaLoop™ permeation flux resulted in a good correlation with the AUC observed in pharmacokinetic studies (dog model) (R2 ≈ 0.98). Also, PermeaLoop™ combined with a microdialysis sampling probe clarified the mechanisms for drug release and permeation from these ASDs. It demonstrated that the free drug was the only driving force for permeation, while the drug-rich colloids kept permeation active for longer periods by acting as drug reservoirs and maintaining constant high levels of free drug in solution, which are then immediately able to permeate. Hence, the data obtained points BioFLUX™ and PermeaLoop™ applications to different momentums in the drug product development pipeline: while BioFLUX™, an automated standardized method, poses as a valuable tool for initial ASD ranking during the early development stages, PermeaLoop™ combined with microdialysis sampling allows to gain mechanistic understanding of the dissolution-permeation interplay, being crucial to fine tune and identify leading ASD candidates prior to in vivo testing.


Subject(s)
Colloids , Itraconazole , Animals , Dogs , Solubility , Biological Availability , Drug Liberation , Itraconazole/pharmacokinetics
14.
Oncotarget ; 14: 637-649, 2023 06 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37343056

ABSTRACT

Diphenyl ditelluride (DPDT) is an organotellurium (OT) compound with pharmacological properties, including antioxidant, antigenotoxic and antimutagenic activities when applied at low concentrations. However, DPDT as well as other OT compounds also show cytotoxicity against mammalian cells when treatments occur at higher drug concentrations. Considering that the underlying mechanisms of toxicity of DPDT against tumor cells have been poorly explored, the objective of our study was to investigate the effects of DPDT against both human cancer and non-tumorigenic cells. As a model, we used the colonic HCT116 cancer cells and the MRC5 fibroblasts. Our results showed that DPDT preferentially targets HCT116 cancer cells when compared to MRC5 cells with IC50 values of 2.4 and 10.1 µM, respectively. This effect was accompanied by the induction of apoptosis and a pronounced G2/M cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, DPDT induces DNA strand breaks at concentrations below 5 µM in HCT116 cells and promotes the occurrence of DNA double strand breaks mostly during S-phase as measured by γ-H2AX/EdU double staining. Finally, DPDT forms covalent complexes with DNA topoisomerase I, as observed by the TARDIS assay, with a more prominent effect observed in HCT116 than in MRC5 cells. Taken together, our results show that DPDT preferentially targets HCT116 colon cancer cells likely through DNA topoisomerase I poisoning. This makes DPDT an interesting molecule for further development as an anti-proliferative compound in the context of cancer.


Subject(s)
Colonic Neoplasms , DNA Topoisomerases, Type I , Animals , Humans , HCT116 Cells , DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/metabolism , Apoptosis , Colonic Neoplasms/drug therapy , Colonic Neoplasms/metabolism , DNA , Mammals/metabolism
15.
Mol Biol Rep ; 50(8): 7105-7111, 2023 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37326748

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A novel virulent bacteriophage infecting phytobacteria Pseudomonas cichorii (P. cichorii) was isolated from leafy vegetables in Brazil. P. cichorii is a Gram-negative soil phytobacterium, the causal agent of a number of economically important plant diseases worldwide. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, a new phage specific for P. cichorii was isolated from solid samples (lettuce, chicory and cabbage), designated vB_Pci_PCMW57. Electron microscopy revealed a small virion (~ 50-nm-diameter icosahedral capsid) with a short, non-contractile tail. The genome of vB_Pci_PCMW57 is 40,117 bp in size, with a GC content of 57.6% and encodes 49 open reading frames. The phage is genetically similar to P. syringae phages Pst_GM1 and Pst_GIL1, and the P. fluorescens phages WRT and KNP. According to electron microscopy and whole-genome sequence analysis, vB_Pci_PCMW57 should be classified as a Caudoviticetes, family Autographiviridae, subfamily Studiervirinae. CONCLUSIONS: The complete phage genome was annotated, and the sequence identity of the virus with other Pseudomonas viruses was higher than 95%. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a bacteriophage infecting Pseudomonas cichorii.


Subject(s)
Bacteriophages , Bacteriophages/genetics , Genome, Viral , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Pseudomonas/genetics , Open Reading Frames/genetics , Phylogeny
16.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int ; 30(18): 54095-54105, 2023 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36869947

ABSTRACT

During coal mining activities, many compounds are released into the environment that can negatively impact human health. Particulate matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and oxides are part of the complex mixture that can affect nearby populations. Therefore, we designed this study to evaluate the potential cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in individuals chronically exposed to coal residues from peripheral blood lymphocytes and buccal cells. We recruited 150 individuals who lived more than 20 years in La Loma-Colombia and 120 control individuals from the city of Barranquilla without a history of exposure to coal mining. In the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay, significant differences in the frequency of micronucleus (MN), nucleoplasmic bridge (NPB), nuclear bud (NBUD), and apoptotic cells (APOP) were observed between the two groups. In the buccal micronucleus cytome (BM-Cyt) assay, a significant formation of NBUD, karyorrhexis (KRX), karyolysis (KRL), condensed chromatin (CC), and binucleated (BN) cells was observed in the exposed group. Considering the characteristics of the study group, a significant correlation for CBMN-Cyt was found between NBUD and vitamin consumption, between MN or APOP and meat consumption, and between MN and age. Moreover, a significant correlation for BM-Cyt was found between KRL and vitamin consumption or age, and BN versus alcohol consumption. Using Raman spectroscopy, a significant increase in the concentration of DNA/RNA bases, creatinine, polysaccharides, and fatty acids was detected in the urine of individuals exposed to coal mining compared to the control group. These results contribute to the discussion on the effects of coal mining on nearby populations and the development of diseases due to chronic exposure to these residues.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Coal Mining , Occupational Exposure , Humans , Occupational Exposure/analysis , Mouth Mucosa , Micronucleus Tests/methods , DNA Damage , Lymphocytes , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
17.
Environ Res ; 227: 115773, 2023 06 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36966995

ABSTRACT

Coal mining activities are considered harmful to living organisms. These activities release compounds to the environment, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and oxides, which can cause oxidative damage to DNA. In this study, we compared the DNA damage and the chemical composition of peripherical blood of 150 individuals exposed to coal mining residues and 120 non-exposed individuals. Analysis of coal particles revealed the presence of elements such as copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), chrome (Cr), silicon (Si) and iron (Fe). The exposed individuals in our study had significant concentrations of Al, sulfur (S), Cr, Fe, and Cu in their blood, as well as hypokalemia. Results from the enzyme-modified comet assay (FPG enzyme) suggest that exposure to coal mining residues caused oxidative DNA damage, particularly purine damage. Furthermore, particles with a diameter of <2.5 µm indicate that direct inhalation could promote these physiological alterations. Finally, a systems biology analysis was performed to investigate the effects of these elements on DNA damage and oxidative stress pathways. Interestingly, Cu, Cr, Fe, and K are key nodes that intensely modulate these pathways. Our results suggest that understanding the imbalance of inorganic elements caused by exposure to coal mining residues is crucial to understanding their effect on human health.


Subject(s)
Coal Mining , Humans , DNA Damage , Comet Assay/methods , Metals , Oxidative Stress , Aluminum , Coal
18.
An Acad Bras Cienc ; 95(1): e20220716, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36790272

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to use bibliometric techniques to provide a longitudinal view of the evolution over more than 50 years of the literature on esophageal cancer without focusing on a specific area. The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for published articles on esophageal neoplasm. Different aspects of the articles were analyzed - country, journal, authors, keywords, and topics. The search returned 24,215 articles - the journal Diseases of the Esophagus present the most number of manuscripts (n = 858), followed by Annals of Surgical Oncology (n = 475).The most cited article was one by van Hagen et al. (2012) (2,807 citations). The most prevalent topic was oncology (n = 10,448), followed by surgery (n = 4,944). Most articles were original research (n = 22,697), mainly with the basic science study design and published by institutions in China. The analysis of the variables chosen, identified China as the country with the highest number of articles and showed that authors and institutions in Asia stand out when it comes to production of scientific information on esophageal cancer.


Subject(s)
Bibliometrics , Esophageal Neoplasms , Humans , Publications , Databases, Factual , China
19.
Multimed Tools Appl ; 82(6): 9277-9302, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35999845

ABSTRACT

Trending topics are the most discussed topics at the moment on social media platforms, particularly on Twitter and Facebook. While the access to trending topics are free and available to everyone, marketing specialists and specific software are more expensive, therefore there are companies that do not have the budget to support those costs. The main goal of this work is to search for associations between trending topics and companies on social media platforms and HotRivers prototype was developed to fill this gap. This approach was applied to Twitter and used text mining techniques to process tweets, train personalized models of companies and deliver a list of the matched trending topics of the target company. So, in this work were tested different pre-processing text techniques and a method to select tweets called Centroid Strategy used on trending topics to avoid unwanted tweets. Also, were tested three models, an embedding vectors approach with Doc2Vec model, a probabilistic model with Latent Dirichlet Allocation, and a classification task approach with a Convolutional Neural Network used on the final architecture. The approach was validated with real cases like Adidas, Nike and Portsmouth Hospitals University. In the results stand out that trending topic Nike has an association with the company Nike and #WorldPatientSafetyDay has an association with Portsmouth Hospitals University. This prototype, HotRivers, can be a new marketing tool that points the direction to the next campaign.

20.
Pharm Res ; 40(5): 1115-1140, 2023 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36456666

ABSTRACT

Biopharmaceuticals have established an indisputable presence in the pharmaceutical pipeline, enabling highly specific new therapies. However, manufacturing, isolating, and delivering these highly complex molecules to patients present multiple challenges, including the short shelf-life of biologically derived products. Administration of biopharmaceuticals through inhalation has been gaining attention as an alternative to overcome the burdens associated with intravenous administration. Although most of the inhaled biopharmaceuticals in clinical trials are being administered through nebulization, dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are considered a viable alternative to liquid solutions due to enhanced stability. While freeze drying (FD) and spray drying (SD) are currently seen as the most viable solutions for drying biopharmaceuticals, spray freeze drying (SFD) has recently started gaining attention as an alternative to these technologies as it enables unique powder properties which favor this family of drug products. The present review focus on the application of SFD to produce dry powders of biopharmaceuticals, with special focus on inhalation delivery. Thus, it provides an overview of the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of these dry powders. Then, a detailed explanation of the SFD fundamental principles as well as the different existing variants is presented, together with a discussion regarding the opportunities and challenges of SFD as an enabling technology for inhalation-based biopharmaceuticals. Finally, a review of the main formulation strategies and their impact on the stability and performance of inhalable biopharmaceuticals produced via SDF is performed. Overall, this review presents a comprehensive assessment of the current and future applications of SFD in biopharmaceuticals for inhalation delivery.


Subject(s)
Biological Products , Spray Drying , Humans , Administration, Inhalation , Freeze Drying , Dry Powder Inhalers , Powders , Particle Size , Aerosols
SELECTION OF CITATIONS
SEARCH DETAIL
...