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The development of high-performance anti-biofouling surfaces is paramount for controlling bacterial attachment and biofilm growth in biomedical devices, food packing, and filtration membranes. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), a carbon-nanotube-like nanomaterial, have emerged as renewable and sustainable antimicrobial agents. However, CNCs inactivate bacteria under contact-mediated mechanisms, limiting its antimicrobial property mostly to the attached bacteria. This study describes the combination of CNCs with silver nanoparticles (CNC/Ag) as a strategy to increase their toxicity and anti-biofouling performance. CNC/Ag-coated surfaces inactivated over 99% of the attached

In this study, we were able to impart antimicrobial properties onto the surface of a commercial thin-film composite (TFC) membrane using sustainably derived cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) extracted from elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) leaves. Carboxylic acid-containing CNC were chemically bound to the amine-terminated polyamide active layer of TFC membranes using a cross-linking reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were conducted to confirm the presence of CNC on the membrane surface. TFC membranes functionalized with needle-like and antimicrobial CNC nanoparticles showed robust toxicity to bacteria, inactivating ∼89% of attached Escherichia coli cells under contact. These findings establish that functionalization with CNC is a promising approach for mitigating biofouling on TFC membranes and substantiates the application of sustainable materials for the design of the next-generation membranes for water purification.

This work evaluated the crystallization pressure of sodium and magnesium sulphates as a tool to break down and defibrillate plant cell walls, aiming at a novel, environmentally friendly and low-cost methodology to obtain micro and nanofibrilated cellulose. Elephant grass leaves both in natura and delignified were soaked in Na2SO4 and MgSO4 solutions and oven-dried at 105 ± 3 °C to promote salt crystallization, while the damage resulted from the pressure exerted by the growing crystals within the cell walls was evaluated. Na2SO4 crystallization proved to be more effective to unpack and defibrillate cell walls in comparison to MgSO4. In addition, both salts had more noticeable effects in previously delignified samples than in in natura samples. Nanofibrillated cellulose was obtained by Na2SO4 action and after shearing fibres treated with an aqueous MgSO4 solution (30% w/v), glycerol and NaOH (5% w/v).

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have emerged as a sustainable nanomaterial for several environmental applications, including the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Although previous studies h...

A Capela de Santa Teresinha, cuja construção é datada de 1927, tem proteção legal a nível municipal salvaguardando sua importância e o seu caráter insubstituível para o bairro, de nome análogo, onde ela se localiza, bem como para a cidade de Juiz de Fora (MG). É a primeira construção erguida em devoção à Santa na cidade e a segunda no Brasil. Neste contexto, a presente pesquisa aborda a análise de manifestações patológicas na referida edificação, tendo como principal objetivo a elaboração de um diagnóstico completo do seu estado de conservação, que possibilite a criação de diretrizes sustentáveis de intervenção para mitigação dos danos. Como metodologia adotada tem-se a revisão de literatura; o diagnóstico do estado de conservação por meio de inspeção visual, realização de ensaio não destrutivo (termografia); uso de drone, mapeamento de danos, elaboração de matriz GUT (gravidade, urgência e tendência); análise de resultados, formulação e testagem de argamassas de restauro com adições sustentáveis e indicação de medidas corretivas para as manifestações patológicas encontradas. O estudo proposto facilita a monitorização e realização de futuras intervenções, assegurando sua preservação e transmissão de significado para estas e outras gerações. The Santa Teresinha Chapel, whose building in 1927, is a municipal heritage that it safeguards its irreplaceable character for the similarly neighborhood name in Juiz de Fora city (Minas Gerais state, Brazil). It is the first building in devotion to holy in the city and the second building in devotion for the same holy in Brazil. This search deals with the analysis of pathological manifestations in the referred building. The main objective is the elaboration of a complete diagnosis of its conservation status and sustainable guidelines for conservation and restoration for intervention. The methodology used is literature review; the diagnosis of the state of conservation of the building by visual inspection and non-destructive testing (thermography); drone use; damage mapping; creation of GUT matrix (severity, urgency and tendency); analysis of results and indication of corrective measures for the pathological manifestations found. Finally, the research will be proposed that enables in-depth analysis of the state of conservation of the good, which facilitates the monitoring and implementation of future interventions, its ensuring your maintenance of meaning for news generations.

This review focuses on lightweight materials (foams, aerogels, cryogels, xerogels) obtained from lignocellulosic fibres, nanocelluloses, and regenerated celluloses, in which the dried assemblies are achieved through ambient/oven-drying, freeze-drying, or supercritical drying. The fundamental properties that characterize these materials include apparent density (ρapp), mechanical strength, specific surface area, and capacity for heat insulation and sound absorption. While similar properties can be obtained from any of the cellulose building blocks by simply adjusting ρapp and the solid architecture, the highest specific surface areas (ca. 600 m2 g−1) can only be achieved with nano or regenerated celluloses. We elucidate processing–structure–property relationships to support the design of sustainable materials prepared through cost-effective and green processes that save unnecessary steps, chemicals, and solvents. Efficient methods to tailor lightweight material properties are described, including three approaches to lower ρapp, four routes to increase specific surface area, and three strategies to enhance compressive modulus. For added functionality in the structures, renewable compounds that, for example, cross-link, hydrophobize, and protect from microbial activity are presented. The tunability of these green materials enables a large range of applications such as protective packaging, construction, sorbents, biomedical devices, environmental remediation, automotive, electronics and apparel.

Lignocellulosic sugarcane biomass underwent an alkaline treatment for partial lignin extraction and then foams with very low apparent density (0.09 g/cm3) were easily obtained by oven drying aqueou...

Las dificultades para acceder a la documentacion del patrimonio construido (incluidas tecnicas y materiales de construccion) es un factor limitante en la elaboracion de intervenciones de conservacion y restauracion. Por tanto, el proceso de investigacion debe ser mas detallado en cuanto a los agentes que provocan las manifestaciones patologicas y el comportamiento de los materiales que las componen, ya que el envejecimiento de las edificaciones, los impactos del medio ambiente y la meteorizacion provocan graves danos a la edificacion. Por ello, es necesario adoptar nuevas estrategias para realizar y complementar el diagnostico del estado de conservacion del edificio, incluida la investigacion de puntos de dificil acceso. En este contexto, el presente trabajo utiliza tecnologias digitales para complementar el diagnostico del estado de conservacion del patrimonio construido, la ermita de santa teresinha, ubicada en el municipio de juiz de fora (mg). La metodologia consistio en: revision de la literatura; cartografia de danos mediante inspeccion visual, termografia y uav (vehiculo aereo no tripulado). Finalmente, estas tecnologias brindaron un diagnostico mas acertado en cuanto a la comprension de las caracteristicas de los materiales y estrategias de intervencion en el patrimonio historico.

In spite of the increasing amount of literature on the production and application of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), little or no attention has been paid so far to the influence of different production methods on the properties of these nanostructures. Herein, we propose a comprehensive study to assess the impact of several factors on the color, morphology, colloidal stability, antioxidant capacity, and UV-shielding performance of LNPs. LNPs were obtained by two different routes: a bottom-up approach based on the self-assembly in a solvent-antisolvent system with acetone/lignin/water; or a top-down approach based on the ultrasonication of never-dried lignin aqueous suspensions. The starting lignin was extracted from elephant grass leaves or stems, so that the influence of anatomical origin and molecular weight could also be investigated. Moreover, lignin was oxidized prior to being converted into LNPs, allowing for comparisons between different oxidation degrees. This study showed that interesting properties of LNPs can be easily tailored and combined focusing on the various applications of these versatile nanostructures. In a model application, different types of LNPs were incorporated into poly(vinyl alcohol)-based nanocomposites, modulating the UV-protection capability of the polymer matrix.

Purpose: Studies in the context of research have shown a significant disagreement between the echocardiographic measurement of the systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) and right atrial pressure (RAP) and that obtained by right heart catheterization (RHC). We compare measurements of sPAP and RAP, verified by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) with those detected by RHC in patients being investigated for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Methods: Cross-sectional study was performed in a context of usual clinical practice in the public referral center for PH, including patients with high or intermediate echocardiographic probability of pulmonary arterial hypertension and chronic thromboembolic PH. Bland-Altman test was used to assess the agreement amongthe values and ROC curve to identify sPAP and tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) values ​​with better accuracy. Clinically acceptable differences of 10 mmHg for sPAP and 5 mmHg for RAP were considered.Results: Ninety-five patients were included. The Bland-Altman analysis showed a bias of 8.03 mmHg for sPAP and -3.30 mmHg for RAP. Area under the curve for sPAP and TRV measured by TTE were 0.936(95% CI: 0.836-1.0) and 0.919(95% CI: 0.837-1.0), respectively. According to the pre-defined pressure differences, only 33.4% of the echocardiographic estimate of sPAP and 55.1% of RAP were accurate, as compared to the measurements obtained by RHC. Conclusions: Real life study revealed that echocardiographic evaluation demonstrated a high discriminatory power for diagnosis of PH, but sPAP and RAP measurements showed significant disagreements in relation to hemodynamic measures. The technical improvement of diagnostic services may contribute to the earlier recognition of this condition by TTE.

Heart rate recovery in 1 minute (HRR1) after the end of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a non-invasive method of determining autonomic dysfunction. This parameter remains largely unexplored in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) registries. We aimed to define the cut-off value and accuracy for abnormal HRR1 after the 6MWT and to investigate the association between HRR1 and clinical worsening in patients with PAH. This composite outcome was defined as first occurrence of all-cause death OR hospitalization from any cause OR disease progression characterized by decreased ≥ 15% in six-minute walking distance from baseline AND start of new specific PAH treatment or persistent worsening of World Health Organization functional class (WHO-FC). We performed a prospective cohort study that included 102 consecutive patients with PAH confirmed by right heart catheterization that underwent an 6MWT upon the diagnosis, recruited from September 2004 to April 2020 and followed up until April 2021 or death. The median HRR1 was 18 beats (IQR: 10–22), 50 and 52 PAH patients with

Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) are renewable and biodegradable nanomaterials with attractive barrier, mechanical and surface properties. In this work, three different recombinant enzymes: an endoglucanase, a xylanase and a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase, were combined to enhance cellulose fibrillation and to produce CNF from sugarcane bagasse (SCB). Prior to the enzymatic catalysis, SCB was chemically pretreated by sodium chlorite and KOH, while defibrillation was accomplished via sonication. We obtained much longer (μm scale length) and more thermostable (resisting up to 260 °C) CNFs as compared to the CNFs prepared by TEMPO-mediated oxidation. Our results showed that a cooperative action of the set of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes can be used as a "green" treatment prior to the sonication step to produce nanofibrillated cellulose with advanced properties.

Background Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) impacts negatively on patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The Cambridge Pulmonary Hypertension Outcome Review (CAMPHOR) was the first PH-specific and validated instrument for use in different languages worldwide. This report describes the adaptation and psychometric validation of the CAMPHOR into Brazilian Portuguese language. Methods The translation and validation process included a bilingual and lay panel translation; cognitive debriefing interviews; psychometric testing in two repeated times assessing internal consistency, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire. The Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) questionnaire was used as a comparator to test for convergent validity. Results The translation captured the same concepts as the English questionnaire and produced a comprehensive instrument in a Brazilian-Portuguese version expressing common, natural language. The psychometric evaluation involved 102 patients (48.8 ± 14.5 years, 80,4% female]. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were above 0.9 on all three CAMPHOR scales. There was excellent test-retest reliability (coefficients above 0.85 on all scales). CAMPHOR Symptoms scale and Activities scale correlated highly with Physical Mobility section and CAMPHOR QoL scale was strongly associated with the Emotional Reactions and Social Isolation sections of NHP. There was a significant association between gender and perceived general health (p Conclusions The present CAMPHOR version demonstrated good psychometric properties and provides a reliable instrument for assessing HRQL and QoL in Brazilian PH patients, addressing patients’ perspective of their illness in a comprehensive way.

Introdução: As neoplasias hematológicas, leucemias e linfomas são patologias que afetam o sangue ou tecidos formadores dele. Durante o período de hospitalização, os pacientes podem desenvolver redução da capacidade funcional que pode interferir na sua função respiratória. Objetivo: Avaliar a influência do tempo de internamento sobre a força muscular respiratória e o nível funcional de adultos com leucemia e linfoma. Método: Estudo observacional, com delineamento longitudinal e abordagem quantitativa, realizado na enfermaria onco-hematológica do Complexo Hospitalar Universitário Professor Edgard Santos (Hupes). A avaliação da força muscular respiratória foi mensurada pelo manovacuômetro e a capacidade funcional pela escala de desempenho de Karnofsky (KPS). Resultados: No decorrer do tempo de internamento dos pacientes, houve uma diminuição da pressão expiratória máxima (PEM) (p=0,000), porém não foi observada diferença significativa na pressão inspiratória máxima (PIM) (p>0,05). Em relação à KPS, os pacientes apresentaram nível de funcionalidade de 70%. Conclusão: Este estudo demonstrou que a PEM foi alterada durante o internamento, porém não houve modificação da PIM e da funcionalidade dos pacientes.

The extract obtained from blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) residues was encapsulated in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) by three methods: the conventional spray-drying (SD) and freeze-drying (FD) techniques, and the new method of supercritical antisolvent (SAS), using CO2 as antisolvent and ethanol as solvent of the organic solution (extract + PVP). The methods and their produced particles were evaluated in terms of precipitation yield, residual ethanol and moisture contents, anthocyanin concentration, antioxidant capacity, morphology, crystallinity and thermal stability. SD,FD and SAS achieved particles with good anthocyanin yields (above 76%), high antioxidant capacity (above 100 μmol TE/g particle) and were effective to concentrate anthocyanins in PVP without great degradation. Using SAS, particles with 1.42 mg ECy3Gl/g were achieved. Nevertheless, SAS particles presented high residual ethanol (8.17% w/w) and moisture (11.30% w/w), whereas in SD and FD particles these contents remained below 2 and 5%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a spherical shape in the particles obtained by SD, while those produced by SAS and FD presented irregular agglomerates. The encapsulation processes were equivalent in terms of thermal protection of the extracts and they did not modify the crystallinity and thermal behavior of PVP. The SAS process achieved preferential precipitation of anthocyanins when compared to SD and FD, since supercritical CO2 does not have any affinity to such compounds.

Suspended particles of copaiba (Copaifera officinalis) oleoresin were produced by supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions (SFEE), using modified starch Hi-Cap 100® as core material. First, ultrasound was applied to produce oil in water (O/W) emulsions with droplet diameter of 261.7 ± 2.2 nm. In SFEE, CO2 and emulsion flow rates, and solvent extraction time were evaluated in terms of residual ethyl acetate content (REA) and β-caryophyllene recovery in the suspension. SFEE achieved 94.1% reduction of ethyl acetate and β-caryophyllene recovery of 7.3%. This REA is within the exposure limit of ethyl acetate (5000 ppm per day). The suspended nanoparticles’ size showed little variation from the emulsion droplet diameter. Finally, the suspensions were dried to obtain powder particles. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed different structures depending on the drying method (freeze-drying or spray-drying). Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) confirmed that copaiba oleoresin was encapsulated in the particles.

INTRODUÇÃO: As neoplasias malignas, leucemias e linfomas, são responsáveis por alterar o metabolismo dos pacientes, atrelado a isso, o tempo de internamento hospitalar prolongando em conjunto com os tratamentos antineoplásicos impactam na qualidade de vida dos pacientes oncológicos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes oncológicos em tratamento quimioterápico durante internamento hospitalar. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Estudo analítico, longitudinal e observacional, com 15 pacientes internados em hospital público, de grande porte, e alta complexidade, no período de fevereiro a julho de 2017. A coleta de dados ocorreu em três etapas: primeiro, quinto e décimo dia de internamento utilizando o questionário Fact-d. RESULTADOS: No período de realização do estudo, 56 pacientes foram internados na enfermaria 1B do HUPES. Desses, 25 pacientes foram considerados elegíveis. Após o início do estudo, ocorreram 10 altas antes do décimo dia, totalizando uma amostra final de 15 pacientes. A idade variou de 20 a 66 anos, sendo que a mediana, em anos, foi de 31 (35,80 16,61), 53% foram do sexo feminino. Quanto ao tipo de câncer, 53% tinham leucemia. Durante o tempo de internamento, não foi observada diferença significativa da qualidade de vida entre o primeiro, quinto e décimo dia de internamento hospitalar. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar dos pacientes estarem hospitalizados, a qualidade de vida manteve-se relativamente preservada.

An interplay between cellulases is fundamental in biomass saccharification. Here, the synergistic action of Trichoderma harzianum Cel7A and Cel7B on two cellulosic substrates: bacterial cellulose (BC) and a much more heterogeneous filter paper (FP) was investigated by determining their saccharification yields and by analyzing both the released soluble products and the insoluble reducing ends formed in the process. Furthermore, morphological changes of the substrates were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. Glycoside hydrolase family 7 (GH7) enzymes introduce uniform changes in BC, whereas in FP they preferentially consume thin microfibrils rather than thicker paper fibers. Thus, the size effect, which leads to a smaller surface area per unit of substrate mass for thicker fibers, seems to play a crucial role in higher enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of BC as compared to FP. These results demonstrate that the morphology-dependent effects could be essential for the industrial breakdown of cellulose-rich plant biomass.

Materials from renewable resources like pectin and nanocelluloses are useful for the controlled release of drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), whose potential for treating tumor cells was recently verified. In this study, pectin films with HCQ were produced by casting at different pH values (4, 7, and 10). Additionally, pectin/HCQ membranes formed at pH 4 were incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and nanofibrils (CNF). Films are mainly amorphous with good compatibility between HCQ and pectin matrix. Release tests showed that films containing CNC and formed at pH 4 released the drug more slowly in phosphate buffer medium compared to other membranes. Additionally, film formed at pH 4 presented slower HCQ release at acid medium. The pectin platform proved to be an easy way to deliver HCQ with different kinetic rates by changing the pH and incorporating nanocellulose particles into the pectin film-forming solutions.

In this work, a two-step pretreatment using acid and alkali was optimized for rice rusks (Oryza sativa) using a 25−1 fractional factorial design (FFD), followed by a central composite design (CCD) to further optimization of enzymatic saccharification. The effect of five variables was simultaneously evaluated: H2SO4 concentration (from 0–5.4 % w/w); NaOH concentration (0–6 % w/w); temperature (85–125 °C); time (20–100 min) and solid to liquid ratio (S/L = 5–12.5 % w/w). The best pretreatment conditions were: 1.8 % w/w of H2SO4 in the first step and 6 % w/w of NaOH at 85 °C for 100 min at a S/L = 12.5 % (w/w) in the alkaline step, which resulted in 58.7 mg of glucose/g substrate, an 8-fold increase compared to the sample in natura (7 mg/g). In rice husks, in contrast to the results commonly found in literature, NaOH extracts mainly silica instead of lignin, while H2SO4 has an important role in lignin removal. High purity silica (97 %) was isolated at high yields (70 %) from the alkaline liquor by a simple and scalable process, which could contribute to making ethanol production from this biomass economically viable.

The oleoresin of copaiba has many pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and cicatrizing, besides helping to treat skin diseases, among other applications. In order to improve its activity, copaiba oleoresin was encapsulated within polymeric particles through emulsification assisted by ultrasound followed by a drying process. Ultrasound-assisted emulsification led to the formation of kinetically stable emulsions. The emulsions with increased stability and the lowest droplet diameters (80.95 ± 2.1 nm (Hi-Cap 100®) and 71.8 ± 2.9 nm (Snow-Flake® E 6131)) were subjected to freeze-drying and spray-drying to produce dry particles. The particles were characterized in terms of moisture content, particle size distribution, encapsulation efficiency, surface oil, oxidative stability, X-ray diffraction and morphological analysis by FESEM and CLSM. Both drying techniques produced amorphous particles with different sizes and low moisture content. Furthermore, high encapsulation efficiency and high stability against thermal degradation were achieved. The analysis of the particles’ morphology indicated that the nature of the biopolymers used (Hi-Cap 100® and Snow-Flake® E 6131) did not affect their microstructure. However, as expected, the freeze-drying and spray-drying techniques produced particles with different external microstructures. SD particles were spherical, whereas FD particles presented irregular structures similar to sheets.

Extracts with bioactive compounds were obtained from dried and milled dedo de moca pepper ( Capsicum baccatum L.) using two different extraction techniques: Soxhlet with four different solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and ethanol), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using methanol and ethanol. In Soxhlet, the solvent reflux was kept for 6 h, whereas the UAE temperatures were 40, 50 and 60 °C with ultrasonic intensities (UI) of 150, 300 and 450 W/cm 2 . Analyses of global yield, total phenolics, antioxidant capacities (DPPH and FRAP) and total capsaicinoids were performed. UAE raised the global extraction yield up to 26%. The concentration of phenolics and antioxidants increased with ultrasound, although higher intensities reduced their recoveries. However, capsaicinoids yield fell down to 50% with ultrasound. A phenomenological model provided good adjustment of the UAE kinetic curves. FESEM images showed that ultrasound did not change the sample morphology and did not damage the sample surface.

Two abundant coffee waste residues (powder and defatted cake) were treated using subcritical water (SubCW) for hydrolysis and extraction of reducing sugars (RS), total reducing sugars (TRS), and total phenolic compounds (TPC) under semi-continuous flow conditions. The flow-through process was carried out at 150, 175, 200 and 250 °C, with a water flow of 10 mL/min and reaction pressures of either 22.5 or 30 MPa. For treated coffee powder, the maximum observed sugar recovery was 6.3% for RS (150 °C and 30 MPa) and 9.0% for TRS (150 °C and 30 MPa). The maximum TPC recovery was 26.64 mg GAE (Gallic Acid Equivalent)/g powder coffee, observed at 200 °C and 22.5 MPa. For the defatted coffee cake, the maximum sugar yields were 8.79% and 17.23% for RS and TRS; both observed at a treatment temperature of 175 °C. The highest TPC yield was 55.31 mg TPC GAE/g defatted coffee cake, also at 175 °C. HPLC was used to quantify specific carbohydrates (arabinose, cellobiose, glucose, and xylose), 5-hydroxy-methyl-furfural (5-HMF) and furfural in both coffee waste hydrolyzates, providing evidence of thermal degradation of the coffee carbohydrates. Scanning electron microscopy of the treated samples revealed particles deposited on the surface and other signs of physical degradation of the biomass structure. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of the residues revealed that the density of surface bound acid groups increased with increasing treatment temperature. The results presented here provide a basis for the use of subcritical water to obtain reducing sugars and phenolic compounds from coffee residue.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease of the lung blood vessels that results in right heart failure. PAH is thought to occur in about 5% to 10% of patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, particularly due to S. mansoni. The lung blood vessel injury may result from a combination of embolization of eggs through portocaval shunts into the lungs causing localized Type 2 inflammatory response and vessel remodeling, triggering of autonomous pathology that becomes independent of the antigen, and high cardiac output as seen in portopulmonary hypertension. The condition is likely underdiagnosed as there is little systematic screening, and risk factors for developing PAH are not known. Screening is done by echocardiography, and formal diagnosis requires invasive right heart catheterization. Patients with Schistosoma-associated PAH show reduced functional capacity and can be treated with pulmonary vasodilators, which improves symptoms and may improve survival. There are animal models of this disease that might help in understanding disease pathogenesis and identify novel targets to screen and treatment. Pathogenic mechanisms include Type 2 immunity and activation and signaling in the TGF-β pathway. There are still major uncertainties regarding Schistosoma-associated PAH development, course and treatment. A hipertensão arterial pulmonar (HAP) é uma doença dos vasos sanguíneos pulmonares que resulta em insuficiência cardíaca direita. Acredita-se que a HAP ocorra em cerca de 5% a 10% dos pacientes com esquistossomose hepatoesplênica, particularmente por S. mansoni. A lesão dos vasos sanguíneos pulmonares pode resultar de uma combinação de embolização de ovos por meio de derivações portocava para os pulmões, causando resposta inflamatória tipo 2 localizada e remodelação do vaso, desencadeando patologia autônoma que se torna independente do antígeno e alto débito cardíaco, como visto na hipertensão portopulmonar . A condição provavelmente é subdiagnosticada, pois há pouca triagem sistemática e os fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de HAP não são conhecidos. A triagem é feita por ecocardiografia, e o diagnóstico formal requer cateterismo cardíaco direito invasivo. Pacientes com HAP associada ao Schistosoma apresentam redução da capacidade funcional e podem ser tratados com vasodilatadores pulmonares, o que melhora os sintomas e pode melhorar a sobrevida. Existem modelos animais desta doença que podem ajudar na compreensão da patogênese da doença e identificar novos alvos para triagem e tratamento. Mecanismos patogênicos incluem imunidade tipo 2 e ativação e sinalização na via de TGF-β. Ainda existem grandes incertezas em relação ao desenvolvimento, curso e tratamento da HAP associada ao Schistosoma.

O transtorno do espectro autista interrompe processos normais de desenvolvimento social, cognitivo e comunicativo, manifestando-se normalmente até os três anos de idade e prevalência no sexo masculino. Estudos buscam fatores que possam contribuir para a redução da manifestação de sintomas ou características especificas. O principal objetivo foi avaliar a presença de alterações comportamentais e sintomas de distúrbios gastrointestinais em decorrência da restrição de glúten e caseína em portadores do autismo. O estudo foi submetido ao Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa do Centro Universitário do Sul de Minas e realizado na Fundação Varginhense de Assistência de Excepcionais em Varginha - Minas Gerais, no segundo semestre de 2015. Foram avaliados 8 autistas com idade entre 2 e 25 anos. Após orientação aos pais, houve intervenção dietética, sugerindo a restrição da caseína por 4 semanas e posteriormente do glúten por 7 semanas, totalizando 11 semanas de restrição. Todos os voluntários apresentaram melhora em pelo menos um dos sintomas característicos do transtorno. O sintoma que apresentou maior evolução foi a agressividade em 62,5% (n=5), seguido da estereotipia em 50% (n=4) dos voluntários (p = 0,01). Com relação aos sintomas gastrointestinais, quatro mães relataram melhora após restrição do glúten e caseína. Em conclusão, observou-se que a restrição dessas proteínas gera melhora dos sintomas apresentados que pode impactar na qualidade de vida dos indivíduos com o transtorno do espectro autista. No entanto, mais estudos randomizados, controlados, com cálculo amostral são necessários para confirmar os efeitos dessa dieta.

In this work, we designed three scenarios to obtain ethanol as the main product from an elephant grass biorefinery and maximize the recovery of extractives, hemicellulose, and lignin. Common pretreatment methodologies, such as diluted acid and alkaline treatments, ball milling and pressurized liquid extractions (PLE) were combined to provide a detailed quantification of the products obtained in each step, enabling an assertive choice for further decision-making depending on the demand for specific products. Scenario 1 was based on an alkaline treatment at mild conditions (85 °C for 20 min, followed by ball milling) and stood out as the most efficient setup for ethanol production (up to 100 kg of ethanol/ton biomass). Scenario 2 was elaborated by adding a diluted acid step prior to the alkaline treatment, enabling the production of up to 77 kg of ethanol/ton biomass, together with the best fractionation results (up to 88 % of biomass use against the 28 % reported in an analogous process, but disregarding the co-products). Finally, the third scenario illustrates how the use of PLE combined with the alkaline treatment could be a clean alternative to recover biomass extractives (37–46 %) as well as produce up to 74 kg of ethanol/ton biomass. Therefore, this study could contribute to the development of greener and more sustainable biorefineries by properly forwarding their normally discarded residues and biomass components to high added-value applications.

Catalytic upstream biorefining (CUB) encompasses processes for plant biomass deconstruction through the early-stage conversion of lignin by the action of a hydrogenation catalyst. CUB processes produce lignin as an extensively depolymerised product (i.e., a viscous lignin oil) and render highly delignified pulps. In this report, we examine CUB from the pulp perspective. Notably, Raney Ni plays an indirect role in the processes that occur within the lignocellulose matrix. As there are negligible points of contact between the poplar wood chips and Raney Ni, the catalyst action is limited to the species leached from the matrix into the liquor. Nevertheless, the substantial changes in the liquor composition (through the decomposition of carboxylic acids and H-transfer reductive processes on the lignin fragments) have significant implications for the pulp composition, degree of polymerisation and morphology. Compared with organosolv pulps, CUB pulps show higher xylan retention, higher delignification, and higher polymerisation degree. Moreover, the correlation between these properties and the performance of the enzymatic hydrolyses of CUB and organosolv pulps reveals that the high susceptibility of CUB pulps is mostly caused by their lower residual lignin contents.