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Lignin is the primary contributor to the high cost of biofuel-production from lignocellulosic biomass. In order to study lignin removal and the release of aromatic monomers, we applied hydrocracking and ionic liquid pretreatments on Arabidopsis thaliana biomass from both wild type (WT) and a mutant (CAD cxd) defective in two cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase genes involved in the lignin biosynthetic pathway. For Arabidopsis WT, our results highlight that pretreatments reduce average molecular weight of lignin by about 65% and decrease the content of β-O-4 linkages between lignin monomers. For Arabidopsis CAD mutant, an opposite effect is evidenced. Fewer differences were observed on depolymerization and molecular structure of lignin, which indicates that (8-O-4), (8-5), and (8-8) linkages observed in CAD mutant make lignin more resilient to pretreatment than wild-type lignin. Finally, our study shows the potential of hydrocracking pretreatment technology for extracting valuable aldehyde monomers such as vanillin and syringaldehyde from biomass.

Clovamide and its analogues are N-hydroxycinnamoyl-L-amino acids (HAA) that exhibit antioxidant activities. For environmental and economic reasons, biological synthesis of these plant-derived metabolites has garnered interest. In this study, we exploited HDT1, a BAHD acyltransferase recently isolated from red clover, for the production of clovamide and derivatives in S. cerevisiae and L. lactis. HDT1 catalyses the transfer of hydroxycinnamoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) onto aromatic amino acids. Therefore, by heterologously co-expressing HDT1 with 4-coumarate:CoA ligase (4CL), we succeeded in the biological production of clovamide and more than 20 other HAA, including halogenated ones, upon feeding the engineered micro-organisms with various combinations of cinnamates and amino acids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the biological synthesis of HAA and, more generally, on the synthesis of plant-derived antioxidant phenolic compounds in L. lactis. The production of these health beneficial metabolites in Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) micro-organisms such as S. cerevisiae and L. lactis provides new options for their delivery as therapeutics. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: N-hydroxycinnamoyl-L-amino acids such as clovamide are bioactive plant-derived phenolic compounds with health beneficial effects. Relying on chemical synthesis or direct extraction from plant sources for the supply of these valuable molecules poses challenges to environmental sustainability. As an alternative route, this work demonstrates the potential for biological synthesis of N-hydroxycinnamoyl-L-amino acids using engineered microbial hosts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactococcus lactis. Besides being more eco-friendly, this approach should also provide more structurally diverse compounds and offer new methods for their delivery to the human body.

Se presenta el caso de un adulto con diagnóstico de dengue serotipo 3, confirmado por RT- PCR, internado en el Hospital de Apoyo de Iquitos, en abril de 2005; dicho paciente, durante la estancia hospitalaria, cumplió con los criterios para dengue hemorrágico considerados por la OMS. Con la terapia de soporte instalada el paciente evolucionó favorablemente y salió de alta sin complicaciones. Se resalta la importancia del diagnóstico clínico, el monitoreo estricto y el tratamiento oportuno en el manejo de estos casos.

Objetivos: Evaluar el efecto del Programa de Desayunos Escolares (PDE) sobre el rendimiento intelectual en alumnos pertenecientes al nivel inicial y primario, atendidos por el PDE en el año 2001. Materiales y métodos: En este estudio transversal descriptivo se evaluaron mediante las pruebas cognitivas Catell 1 (4-8 años) y Catell 2 (9-13 años) escolares de 4 a 13 años (seleccionados por muestreo probabilístico multietápico) de los distritos atendidos por el PDE, calculándose los promedios del puntaje total y puntajes de cada uno de los subtests incluidos en estas pruebas. Para identificar a los niños que recibieron la intervención, se usó dos modalidades: el testimonio del profesor de "consumo usual" del desayuno escolar y la observación del consumo el día de la evaluación. Resultados: Fueron evaluados 1787 escolares: 922 de inicial y 865 de primaria. La proporción de niñas y niños fue similar. El consumo reciente del desayuno mostró efectos positivos en el puntaje total y subtests específicos en escolares de inicial de Lima, la costa y la selva con el Catell 1 y en escolares de primaria de la costa con el Catell 2. El consumo usual mostró efectos positivos en el puntaje total y subtests específicos en escolares de inicial de la costa y la selva con el Catell 1. Conclusiones: Existen efectos positivos del consumo reciente y consumo regular de la ración del PDE sobre el rendimiento intelectual, siendo este efecto mayor en escolares del nivel inicial y en lugares de la costa y la selva.

Objetivo: Evaluar la eficacia y eficiencia del Programa de Control de Tuberculosis (PCT) en la Red de Servicios de Salud Rioja (RSSR), San Martín-Perú, durante el período 1996-2000. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo longitudinal, que utiliza como fuente de información retrospectiva los libros de registro y seguimiento de pacientes con tuberculosis (TB) del PCT de la RSSR. La muestra incluyó a los pacientes diagnosticados de TB y registrado en el PCT, excluyéndose los pacientes que presentaron reacción adversa a medicamentos que motivó cambio del esquema de tratamiento o pacientes con tratamiento irregular. Se realizó el análisis segun año, microrred (MR) y esquema de tratamiento. Resultados: Se incluyeron 355 pacientes. La eficacia a nivel de red fue 99.7% y la eficiencia 93.0%. El porcentaje de abandonos fue 2.0%, fracasos 0.3%, transferencias sin confirmar (TSC) 1.4%, y fallecidos 2.8%. No se determinó ninguna tendencia significativa a lo largo del periodo estudiado. A nivel de microrred, la menor eficiencia la presentaron la MR-5 y MR-3; ambas microrredes también tuvieron el mayor porcentaje de abandonos. El mayor porcentaje de fallecidos lo presentaron la MR-5 y MR-6. Se encontró un alto porcentaje de abandonos en pacientes que recibieron Esquema III y el porcentaje de fallecidos fue mayor en los que recibieron Esquema II. Conclusiones: La eficacia y eficiencia presentaron, en general, valores adecuados en la RSSR; sin embargo, pudimos identificar algunas microrredes y subpoblaciones de pacientes con altos porcentajes de fallecimientos, abandonos y TSC, situación que necesita ser corregida.

Objectives: To assess the effects of the School Breakfast Program (SBP) on the intellectual performance of elementary and primary level school students attended by SBP in Peru, during 2001. Materials and Methods: In this analytic cross-sectional study we assessed students of 4 to 13 years (chosen using multi-stage probabilistic sample) from districts attended by SBP, with the Catell 1 (4-8 years) and Catell 2 (9-13 years) cognitive tests, and we calculated the average of total scores and scores for each subtest included in this test. Two methods were used for the identification of children that received the intervention: teacher's evidence of "usual consumption" of the school breakfast and the observation of the consumption during the day of the assessment. Results: 1787 school students were evaluated: 922 of elementary and 865 of primary eduactional level. The proportion of girls and boys was similar. Recent consumption of breakfast showed positive effects in the total scores and specific subtests in Coast and Jungle students of elementary level, using Catell 1 test and in primary level students from the Coast, using Catell 2 test. Regular consumption showed positive effects in the total scores and in the specific tests in elementary school students of Coast and Jungle, using Catell 1 test. Conclusions: There are positive effects due to recent consumption and regular consumption of PDE ration on the intellectual performance, showing a greater effect in students of elementary level and in Coast and Jungle study sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We assessed the frequency of intraoperative complication rates related to access surgery, operating time, and intraoperative bleeding rates described in the literature for patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) to evaluate the adverse effects and, thus, help in therapeutic decision making and contribute to future clinical trials., Methods: A systematic review was conducted of MEDLINE and Embase databases in March 2023. The main inclusion criteria were adult patients aged >18 years, with no maximum age limit; the use of ALIF; the presence of quantitative data on intraoperative complications; and randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. Vascular and peritoneal injuries were considered primary endpoints. The operative time and intraoperative bleeding rate were secondary endpoints. Reports and case series, case-control series, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses were excluded., Results: Eight studies were included with a total of 2395 patients. We found important quantitative data for future randomized clinical studies involving ALIF surgery, including the rate of vascular lesions (2.79%) and peritoneal lesions (0.37%). In addition to these factors, only 4 of the 8 studies addressed the average surgery time, with a total average of 145.61 minutes. Furthermore, 6 of the 8 articles reported the mean rate of intraoperative bleeding, with a total mean blood loss of 272.75 mL., Conclusions: ALIF is a lumbar spine access technique with low intraoperative complications. Patients with contraindications have a higher risk of complications. Randomized clinical trials are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of the procedure., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The hydrobiological diversity in the basin depends on biotic and abiotic factors. A predictive model of hydrobiological diversity for periphyton and macrobenthos was developed through multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) based on the physicochemical parameters of water (PPW) and metal content in sediments (MCS) from eight monitoring stations in the Asana-Tumilaca Basin during the dry and wet seasons. The electrical conductivity presented values between 47.9 and 3617 μS/cm, showing the highest value in the Capillune River due to the influence of geothermal waters. According to Piper's diagram, the water in the basin had a composition of calcium sulfate and calcium bicarbonate-sulfate. According to the Wilcox diagram, the water was found to be between good and very good quality, except for in the Capillune River. The Shannon-Wiener diversity indices (H') were 2.62 and 2.88 for periphyton, and 2.10 and 2.44 for macrobenthos, indicating moderate diversity; for the Pielou's evenness index (J'), they were 0.68 and 0.70 for periphyton, and 0.68 and 0.59 for macrobenthos, indicating similar equity, in the dry and wet seasons, respectively, for both indices. In the model there were three cases, where the first two cases only worked with PPW or MCS, and case 3 worked with PPW and MCS. For case 3, the predicted values for H' and J' of periphyton and macrobenthos concerning those observed presented correlation coefficients of 0.7437 and 0.6523 for periphyton and 0.9321 and 0.8570 for macrobenthos, respectively, which were better than those of cases 1 and 2. In addition, principal component analysis revealed that the As, Pb, and Zn contents in the sediments negatively influenced the diversity, uniformity, and richness of the macrobenthos. In contrast, Cu and Cr had positive impacts because of the adaptation processes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Human milk contains a complex mixture of triacylglycerols (TAG), making it challenging to recreate using common ingredients., Objective: The study aimed to develop an innovative fermentation technique to produce essential human milk TAG, effectively tackling a significant hurdle in infant nutrition., Method: An in-depth analysis of the literature has been conducted to identify the specific TAG to be targeted. We used a microalgal oil production platform and a two-step procedure to modify its fatty acid and TAG composition. The palmitic acid (16:0) content has been increased by classical strain improvement techniques, followed by a step involving the expression of a lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase (LPAAT) sequence capable of esterifying 16:0 specifically at the internal position ( sn -2 palmitate) of TAG. Once the strain was stabilized, the fermentation was scaled up in a 50-L reactor to yield several kilograms of biomass. Subsequently, the oil was extracted and refined using standard oil processing conditions. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to monitor the TAG profile and the region specificity of 16:0 at the internal position ( sn -2 palmitate) of TAG., Results: The initial strain had a 16:0 level of 25% of total fatty acids, which was increased to 30% by classical strain improvement. Simultaneously, the oleic acid level decreased from 61% to 57% of total fatty acids. Upon expression of an exogenous LPAAT gene, the level of the 16:0 esterified in the internal position of the TAG ( sn -2 palmitate) increased by a factor of 10, to reach 73% of total palmitic acid. Consequently, the concentration of oleic acid in the internal position decreased from 81% to 22% of total fatty acids, with TAG analysis confirming that the primary TAG species in the oil was 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoyl-glycerol (OPO). The 50-L-scale fermentation trial confirmed the strain's ability to produce oil with a yield of >150 g of oil per liter of fermentation broth in a timeframe of 5 days, rendering the process scalable for larger-scale industrialization., Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of producing a suitable TAG composition that can be effectively integrated into the formulations of infant nutrition in combination with other fats and oils to meet the infant feeding requirements., Competing Interests: XZho, XZha, LP, PD, MC, VB, RM, DA, BD, GA, JW, DG, FD, WR, and SF were employed by Checkerspot, Inc, Alameda, California (USA). The authors declare that this study received funding from Checkerspot, Inc. The funder had the following involvement with the study: study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article, and the decision to submit it for publication., (Copyright © 2024 Zhou, Zhao, Parker, Derkach, Correa, Benites, Miller, Athanasiadis, Doherty, Alnozaili, Wittenberg, Gates, Destaillats, Rakitsky and Franklin.)

Introduction: This study aimed to highlight that atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) can be related to neurosurgery procedures in children, with an afterward demonstration of good results after halo-gravity traction and C1-C2 stabilization using the Harms technique., Case Description: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case to report a 4-year-old boy who presented with AARF after a posterior fossa craniotomy to treat a cerebellar astrocytoma. At our medical facility, AARF was diagnosed using plain radiography and computed tomography imaging. The patient was treated with continuous cranial traction for 14 days. Initially, we detected that the patient had no C1 posterior arch or C2 spinous process; therefore, the best option was to perform the Harms technique. Postoperatively, the patient was placed in a cervical collar for 4 weeks. At the 4-year postoperative follow-up, the patient was doing well and had not developed any complications., Conclusion: Herein, we report a case in which AARF can be developed after neurosurgical procedure. Surgical techniques used for atlantoaxial subluxation should be carefully selected. In our case, the Harms technique after cranial traction was an excellent option for correcting and stabilizing the abnormal neck position. However, further studies are required to determine the best technique to use in the pediatric population., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The introduction of Augmented Reality (AR) has attracted several developments, although the people's experience of AR has not been clearly studied or contrasted with the human experience in 2D and 3D environments. Here, the directional task was applied in 2D, 3D, and AR using simplified stimulus in video games to determine whether there is a difference in human answer reaction time prediction using context stimulus. Testing of the directional task adapted was also done. Research question: Are the main differences between 2D, 3D, and AR able to be predicted using Markov chains? Methods: A computer was fitted with a digital acquisition card in order to record, test and validate the reaction time (RT) of participants attached to the arranged RT for the theory of Markov chain probability. A Markov chain analysis was performed on the participants' data. Subsequently, the way certain factors influenced participants RT amongst the three tasks time on the accuracy of the participants was sought in the three tasks (environments) were statistically tested using ANOVA. Results: Markov chains of order 1 and 2 successfully reproduced the average reaction time by participants in 3D and AR tasks, having only 2D tasks with the variance predicted with the current state. Moreover, a clear explanation of delayed RT in every environment was done. Mood and coffee did not show significant differences in RTs on a simplified videogame. Gender differences were found in 3D, where endogenous directional goals are in 3D, but no gender differences appeared in AR where exogenous AR buttons can explain the larger RT that compensate for the gender difference. Our results suggest that unconscious preparation of selective choices is not restricted to current motor preparation. Instead, decisions in different environments and gender evolve from the dynamics of preceding cognitive activity can fit and improve neurocomputational models., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Mugruza-Vassallo, Granados-Domínguez, Flores-Benites and Córdova-Berríos.)