| 1. |
- Tabiri, S, et al.
(author)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 2. |
- Bravo, L, et al.
(author)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 3. |
- Glasbey, JC, et al.
(author)
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- 2021
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swepub:Mat__t
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| 4. |
- Khatri, C, et al.
(author)
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Outcomes after perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with proximal femoral fractures: an international cohort study
- 2021
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In: BMJ open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 11:11, s. e050830-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies have demonstrated high rates of mortality in people with proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, but there is limited published data on the factors that influence mortality for clinicians to make informed treatment decisions. This study aims to report the 30-day mortality associated with perioperative infection of patients undergoing surgery for proximal femoral fractures and to examine the factors that influence mortality in a multivariate analysis.SettingProspective, international, multicentre, observational cohort study.ParticipantsPatients undergoing any operation for a proximal femoral fracture from 1 February to 30 April 2020 and with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection (either 7 days prior or 30-day postoperative).Primary outcome30-day mortality. Multivariate modelling was performed to identify factors associated with 30-day mortality.ResultsThis study reports included 1063 patients from 174 hospitals in 19 countries. Overall 30-day mortality was 29.4% (313/1063). In an adjusted model, 30-day mortality was associated with male gender (OR 2.29, 95% CI 1.68 to 3.13, p<0.001), age >80 years (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.1 to 2.31, p=0.013), preoperative diagnosis of dementia (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.16, p=0.005), kidney disease (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.55, p=0.005) and congestive heart failure (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.48, p=0.025). Mortality at 30 days was lower in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.6 (0.42 to 0.85), p=0.004). There was no difference in mortality in patients with an increase to delay in surgery (p=0.220) or type of anaesthetic given (p=0.787).ConclusionsPatients undergoing surgery for a proximal femoral fracture with a perioperative infection of SARS-CoV-2 have a high rate of mortality. This study would support the need for providing these patients with individualised medical and anaesthetic care, including medical optimisation before theatre. Careful preoperative counselling is needed for those with a proximal femoral fracture and SARS-CoV-2, especially those in the highest risk groups.Trial registration numberNCT04323644
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Ruilope, LM, et al.
(author)
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Design and Baseline Characteristics of the Finerenone in Reducing Cardiovascular Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease Trial
- 2019
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In: American journal of nephrology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1421-9670 .- 0250-8095. ; 50:5, s. 345-356
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- <b><i>Background:</i></b> Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. <b><i>Patients and</i></b> <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥25 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup> and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 to ≤5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level α = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049.
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| 8. |
- Aprile, E., et al.
(author)
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The XENON1T dark matter experiment
- 2017
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In: European Physical Journal C. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1434-6044 .- 1434-6052. ; 77:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The XENON1T experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is the first WIMP dark matter detector operating with a liquid xenon target mass above the ton-scale. Out of its 3.2t liquid xenon inventory, 2.0t constitute the active target of the dual-phase time projection chamber. The scintillation and ionization signals from particle interactions are detected with low-background photomultipliers. This article describes the XENON1T instrument and its subsystems as well as strategies to achieve an unprecedented low background level. First results on the detector response and the performance of the subsystems are also presented.
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| 9. |
- Householder, John Ethan, et al.
(author)
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One sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is dependent on river floodplains
- 2024
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In: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - 2397-334X.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amazonia's floodplain system is the largest and most biodiverse on Earth. Although forests are crucial to the ecological integrity of floodplains, our understanding of their species composition and how this may differ from surrounding forest types is still far too limited, particularly as changing inundation regimes begin to reshape floodplain tree communities and the critical ecosystem functions they underpin. Here we address this gap by taking a spatially explicit look at Amazonia-wide patterns of tree-species turnover and ecological specialization of the region's floodplain forests. We show that the majority of Amazonian tree species can inhabit floodplains, and about a sixth of Amazonian tree diversity is ecologically specialized on floodplains. The degree of specialization in floodplain communities is driven by regional flood patterns, with the most compositionally differentiated floodplain forests located centrally within the fluvial network and contingent on the most extraordinary flood magnitudes regionally. Our results provide a spatially explicit view of ecological specialization of floodplain forest communities and expose the need for whole-basin hydrological integrity to protect the Amazon's tree diversity and its function.
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Abila, R., et al.
(author)
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Oil extraction imperils Africa’s Great Lakes
- 2016
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 354:6312, s. 561-562
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- As the world's demands for hydrocarbons increase (1), remote areas previously made inaccessible by technological limitations are now being prospected for oil and gas deposits. Virtually unnoticed by the public, such activities are ongoing in the East African Great Lakes region, threatening these ecosystems famed for their hyper-diverse biota, including the unique adaptive radiations of cichlid fishes (2). Countries in the region see exploitation of hydrocarbon reserves as a vital economic opportunity. In the Lake Albert region of Uganda, for example, the government foresees a $3.6 billion oil profit per year starting in 2018—a sum almost as high as the country's current annual budget (3). However, oil extraction in the East African Great Lakes region poses grave risks to the environment and local communities.
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| 13. |
- Luize, Bruno Garcia, et al.
(author)
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Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities
- 2024
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In: JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and v & aacute;rzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igap & oacute; and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R-2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R-2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions.
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| 14. |
- ter Steege, Hans, et al.
(author)
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Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora
- 2023
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In: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. - 2399-3642. ; 6:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution. A study mapping the tree species richness in Amazonian forests shows that soil type exerts a strong effect on species richness, probably caused by the areas of these forest types. Cumulative water deficit, tree density and temperature seasonality affect species richness at a regional scale.
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Cooper, Declan L.M., et al.
(author)
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Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities
- 2024
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In: Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 625:7996, s. 728-734
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations 1–6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories 7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Antunes, T. B. M., et al.
(author)
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Heating stability, physical and chemical analysis of calcium silicate‐based endodontic sealers
- 2021
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In: International Endodontic Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0143-2885 .- 1365-2591. ; 54:7, s. 1175-1188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To evaluate possible modifications in root canal sealers subjected to a variety of heating conditions using vibrational spectroscopy and analysis of physical and chemical properties.Methodology: EndoSequence BC Sealer HiFlow, Bio-C Sealer, BioRoot RCS and AH Plus were analysed chemically using Raman spectroscopy (25–220 °C) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) (37–100 °C ). For FT-IR, the materials were tested individually and mixed with root dentine powder. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and coupled energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to evaluate surface and chemical elements. ISO 6876-2012 and ASTM-C266-07 specifications were followed to evaluate flow, setting time (moist and dry), solubility and radiopacity. Also, pH analysis at 37 and 100 °C was performed. Shapiro–Wilk and Mixed ANOVA (within and between the effects of the subjects), Levene, and a post hoc analyses with Bonferroni correction were performed (P < 0.05).Results: Vibrational spectroscopy revealed peaks of tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate and zirconium dioxide. Chemical changes in the Raman spectra during heating were discrete, as the inorganic content predominated the signalling for all root canal sealers. FT-IR analysis exhibited spectral changes in water absorption for EndoSequence BC Sealer HiFlow and Bio-C Sealer, probably related to dehydration. For BioRoot RCS and AH Plus, no significant chemical changes were observed. Bio-C Sealer exhibited a band of polyethylene glycol only after heating to 100 °C, probably related to its thermal decomposition. SEM/EDS analysis corroborated the composition results observed in vibrational spectroscopy for all materials. Heating to 100 °C significantly changed the flowability of all calcium silicate-based sealers with a wide variation in setting times at both temperatures, along with solubility levels above ISO standards. For all tested sealers, radiopacity fulfilled the requirements, and pH exhibited alkaline values.Conclusions: The tested calcium silicate-based sealers were affected by heating. Calcium silicate-based root canal sealers had high solubility which is a concern for their clinical use. AH Plus was the only root canal sealer that was stable after heating.
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| 21. |
- Bentley, Blair P., et al.
(author)
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Divergent sensory and immune gene evolution in sea turtles with contrasting demographic and life histories
- 2023
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 120:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sea turtles represent an ancient lineage of marine vertebrates that evolved from terrestrial ancestors over 100 Mya. The genomic basis of the unique physiological and ecological traits enabling these species to thrive in diverse marine habitats remains largely unknown. Additionally, many populations have drastically declined due to anthropogenic activities over the past two centuries, and their recovery is a high global conservation priority. We generated and analyzed high-quality reference genomes for the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles, representing the two extant sea turtle families. These genomes are highly syntenic and homologous, but localized regions of noncollinearity were associated with higher copy numbers of immune, zinc-finger, and olfactory receptor (OR) genes in green turtles, with ORs related to waterborne odorants greatly expanded in green turtles. Our findings suggest that divergent evolution of these key gene families may underlie immunological and sensory adaptations assisting navigation, occupancy of neritic versus pelagic environments, and diet specialization. Reduced collinearity was especially prevalent in microchromosomes, with greater gene content, heterozygosity, and genetic distances between species, supporting their critical role in vertebrate evolutionary adaptation. Finally, diversity and demographic histories starkly contrasted between species, indicating that leatherback turtles have had a low yet stable effective population size, exhibit extremely low diversity compared with other reptiles, and harbor a higher genetic load compared with green turtles, reinforcing concern over their persistence under future climate scenarios. These genomes provide invaluable resources for advancing our understanding of evolution and conservation best practices in an imperiled vertebrate lineage.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Kohl, S, et al.
(author)
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CNGB3 mutations account for 50% of all cases with autosomal recessive achromatopsia
- 2005
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In: European Journal of Human Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5438 .- 1018-4813. ; 13:3, s. 302-308
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Achromatopsia is a congenital, autosomal recessively inherited disorder characterized by a lack of color discrimination, low visual acuity (<0.2), photophobia, and nystagmus. Mutations in the genes for CNGA3, CNGB3, and GNAT2 have been associated with this disorder. Here, we analyzed the spectrum and prevalence of CNGB3 gene mutations in a cohort of 341 independent patients with achromatopsia. In 163 patients, CNGB3 mutations could be identified. A total of 105 achromats carried apparent homozygous mutations, 44 were compound (double) heterozygotes, and 14 patients had only a single mutant allele. The derived CNGB3 mutation spectrum comprises 28 different mutations including 12 nonsense mutations, eight insertions and/or deletions, five putative splice site mutations, and three missense mutations. Thus, the majority of mutations in the CNGB3 gene result in significantly altered and/or truncated polypeptides. Several mutations were found recurrently, in particular a 1 bp deletion, c.1148delC, which accounts for over 70% of all CNGB3 mutant alleles. In conclusion, mutations in the CNGB3 gene are responsible for approximately 50% of all patients with achromatopsia. This indicates that the CNGB3/ACHM3 locus on chromosome 8q21 is the major locus for achromatopsia in patients of European origin or descent.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
- Zhang, Guojie, et al.
(author)
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Comparative genomics reveals insights into avian genome evolution and adaptation
- 2014
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 346:6215, s. 1311-1320
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Birds are the most species-rich class of tetrapod vertebrates and have wide relevance across many research fields. We explored bird macroevolution using full genomes from 48 avian species representing all major extant clades. The avian genome is principally characterized by its constrained size, which predominantly arose because of lineage-specific erosion of repetitive elements, large segmental deletions, and gene loss. Avian genomes furthermore show a remarkably high degree of evolutionary stasis at the levels of nucleotide sequence, gene synteny, and chromosomal structure. Despite this pattern of conservation, we detected many non-neutral evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes and noncoding regions. These analyses reveal that pan-avian genomic diversity covaries with adaptations to different lifestyles and convergent evolution of traits.
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| 30. |
- Alves, Luis, et al.
(author)
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On the role of hydrophobic interactions in cellulose dissolution and regeneration: Colloidal aggregates and molecular solutions
- 2015
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In: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-7757. ; 483, s. 257-263
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of strategies for dissolution and regeneration of cellulose constitutes an increasingly active research field due to the direct relevance for many production processes and applications. A wide variety of suitable solvents for cellulose are already available. However, cellulose solvents are of highly different nature reflecting the great challenges in the understanding of the subtle balance between the different interactions. Here, we report on the effect of two different solvents on the dissolution of cellulose on multiple length scales and its consequences for the characteristics of the regenerated material. While an aqueous tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solution gives rise to what appears to be dissolution down to the molecular level, a sodium hydroxide solution does not dissolve cellulose molecularly but rather leaves aggregates of high crystallinity stable in the cellulose dope. The dramatic difference between a small inorganic cation and an amphiphilic cation indicates a critical role of hydrophobic interactions between cellulose molecules and provides support for the picture that cellulose molecules have pronounced amphiphilic properties. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 31. |
- Alves, L., et al.
(author)
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Unusual extraction and characterization of nanocrystalline cellulose from cellulose derivatives
- 2015
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In: Journal of Molecular Liquids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-7322 .- 1873-3166. ; 210, s. 106-112
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Unlike many nanomaterials, nanocrystalline cellulose (CNC) is not synthesized from molecular or atomic components but rather extracted from naturally occurring cellulose. Undoubtedly, the exploitation of CNCs will become a bridge between nanoscience and natural resource products, which could play a major role in reviving the forest industry. In this work, CNC was successfully extracted from unusual sources, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC). The extracted crystallites were purified and further characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The average size of the CNCs extracted from HPMC and CMC was found to be less (and with lower zeta potential) than the ones extracted from microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). On the other hand, FTIR and XRD revealed that native HPMC and CMC are unexpectedly highly crystalline and hence can be used as a source for CNCs. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Antunes, Filipe E., et al.
(author)
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Polymer-vesicle association
- 2009
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In: Advances in Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3727 .- 0001-8686. ; 147-48, s. 18-35
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mixed polymer-surfactant systems have been intensively investigated in the last two decades, with the main focus on surfactant micelles as the surfactant aggregate in interaction. The main types of phase behavior, driving forces and structural/rheological effects at stake are now fairly well understood. Polymer-vesicle systems, on the other hand, have received comparatively less attention from a physico-chemical perspective. In this review, our main goal has been to bridge this gap, taking a broad approach to cover a field that is in clear expansion, in view of its multiple implications for colloid and biological sciences and in applied areas. We start by a general background on amphiphile self-assembly and phase separation phenomena in mixed polymer-surfactant solutions. We then address vesicle formation, properties and stability not only in classic lipids, but also in various other surfactant systems, among which catanionic vesicles are highlighted. Traditionally. lipid and surfactant vesicles have been studied separately, with little cross-information and comparison, giving duplication of physico-chemical interpretations. This situation has changed in more recent times. We then proceed to cover more in-depth the work done on different aspects of the associative behavior between vesicles (of different composition and type of stability) and different types of polymers, including polysaccharides. proteins and DNA. Thus. phase behavior features. effects of vesicle structure and stability, and the forces/mechanisms of vesicle-macromolecule interaction are addressed. Such association may generate gels with interesting theological properties and high potential for applications. Finally, special focus is also given to DNA, a high charge polymer. and its interactions with surfactants, and vesicles. in particular, in the context of gene transfection studies. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
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| 34. |
- Antunes, Filipe, et al.
(author)
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Network formation of catanionic vesicles and oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Effect of polymer charge density and hydrophobic modification
- 2004
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In: Langmuir. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0743-7463 .- 1520-5827. ; 20:11, s. 4647-4656
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In nonequimolar solutions of a cationic and an anionic surfactant, vesicles bearing a net charge can be spontaneously formed and apparently exist as thermodynamically stable aggregates. These vesicles can associate strongly with polymers in solution by means of hydrophobic and/or electrostatic interactions. In the current work, we have investigated the rheological and microstructural properties of mixtures of cationic polyelectrolytes and net anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate/didodecyldimethylammonium bromide vesicles. The polyelectrolytes consist of two cationic cellulose derivatives with different charge densities; the lowest charge density polymer contains also hydrophobic grafts, with the number of charges equal to the number of grafts. For both systems, polymer-vesicle association leads to a major increase in viscosity and to gel-like behavior, but the viscosity effects are more pronounced for the less charged, hydrophobically modified polymer. Evaluation of the frequency dependence of the storage and loss moduli for the two systems shows further differences in behavior: while the more long-lived cross-links occur for the more highly charged hydrophilic polymer, the number of cross-links is higher for the hydrophobically modified polymer. Microstructure studies by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy indicate that the two polymers affect the vesicle stability in different ways. With the hydrophobically modified polymer, the aggregates remain largely in the form of globular vesicles and faceted vesicles (polygon-shaped vesicles with largely planar regions). For the hydrophilic polycation, on the other hand, the surfactant aggregate structure is more extensively modified: first, the vesicles change from a globular to a faceted shape; second, there is opening of the bilayers leading to holey vesicles and ultimately to considerable vesicle disruption leading to planar bilayer, disklike aggregates. The faceted shape is tentatively attributed to a crystallization of the surfactant film in the vesicles. It is inferred that a hydrophobically modified polyion with relatively low charge density can better stabilize vesicles due to formation of molecularly mixed aggregates, while a hydrophilic polyion with relatively high charge density associates so strongly to the surfactant films, due to strong electrostatic interactions, that the vesicles are more perturbed and even disrupted.
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
- Borja, I, et al.
(author)
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Corrigendum
- 2018
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In: European heart journal. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1522-9645 .- 0195-668X. ; 39:21, s. 1991-1991
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 37. |
- Correia, M., et al.
(author)
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Early plasma biomarker dynamic profiles are associated with acute ischemic stroke outcomes
- 2022
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In: European Journal of Neurology. - : Wiley. - 1351-5101 .- 1468-1331. ; 29:6, s. 1630-1642
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background Early outcome prediction after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) might be improved with blood-based biomarkers. We investigated whether the longitudinal profile of a multi-marker panel could predict the outcome of successfully recanalized AIS patients. Methods We used ultrasensitive single-molecule array (Simoa) to measure glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NfL), total-tau (t-tau) and ELISA for brevican in a prospective study of AIS patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion successfully submitted to thrombectomy. Plasma was obtained at admission, upon treatment, 24 h and 72 h after treatment. Clinical and neuroimaging outcomes were assessed independently. Results Thirty-five patients (64.8%) had good early clinical or neuroimaging outcome. Baseline biomarker levels did not distinguish between outcomes. However, longitudinal intra-individual biomarker changes followed different dynamic profiles with time and according to outcome. GFAP levels exhibited an early and prominent increase between admission and just after treatment. NfL increase was less pronounced between admission and up to 24 h. T-tau increased between treatment and 24 h. Interestingly, GFAP rate-of-change (pg/ml/h) between admission and immediately after recanalization had a good discriminative capacity between clinical outcomes (AUC = 0.88, p < 0.001), which was higher than admission CT-ASPECTS (AUC = 0.75, p < 0.01). T-tau rate-of-change provided moderate discriminative capacity (AUC = 0.71, p < 0.05). Moreover, in AIS patients with admission CT-ASPECTS <9 both GFAP and NfL rate-of-change were good outcome predictors (AUC = 0.82 and 0.77, p < 0.05). Conclusion Early GFAP, t-tau and NfL rate-of-change in plasma can predict AIS clinical and neuroimaging outcome after successful recanalization. Such dynamic measures match and anticipate neuroimaging predictive capacity, potentially improving AIS patient stratification for treatment, and targeting individualized stroke care.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Dias, R, et al.
(author)
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DNA-lipid systems. A physical chemistry study
- 2002
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In: Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. - 0100-879X. ; 35:5, s. 509-522
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is well known that the interaction of polyelectrolytes with oppositely charged surfactants leads to an associative phase separation; however, the phase behavior of DNA and oppositely charged surfactants is more strongly associative than observed in other systems. A precipitate is formed with very low amounts of surfactant and DNA. DNA compaction is a general phenomenon in the presence of multivalent ions and positively charged surfaces; because of the high charge density there are strong attractive ion correlation effects. Techniques like phase diagram determinations, fluorescence microscopy, and ellipsometry were used to study these systems. The interaction between DNA and catanionic mixtures (i.e., mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants) was also investigated. We observed that DNA compacts and adsorbs onto the surface of positively charged vesicles, and that the addition of an anionic surfactant can release DNA back into solution from a compact globular complex between DNA and the cationic surfactant. Finally, DNA interactions with polycations, chitosans with different chain lengths, were studied by fluorescence microscopy, in vivo transfection assays and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. The general conclusion is that a chitosan effective in promoting compaction is also efficient in transfection.
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| 41. |
- Donolato, Marco, et al.
(author)
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Novel readout method for molecular diagnostic assays based on optical measurements of magnetic nanobead dynamics
- 2015
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In: Analytical Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 87:3, s. 1622-1629
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate detection of DNA coils formed from a Vibrio cholerae DNA target at picomolar concentrations using a novel optomagnetic approach exploiting the dynamic behavior and optical anisotropy of magnetic nanobead (MNB) assemblies. We establish that the complex second harmonic optical transmission spectra of MNB suspensions measured upon application of a weak uniaxial AC magnetic field correlate well with the rotation dynamics of the individual MNBs. Adding a target analyte to the solution leads to the formation of permanent MNB clusters, namely, to the suppression of the dynamic MNB behavior. We prove that the optical transmission spectra are highly sensitive to the formation of permanent MNB clusters and, thereby to the target analyte concentration. As a specific clinically relevant diagnostic case, we detect DNA coils formed via padlock probe recognition and isothermal rolling circle amplification and benchmark against a commercial equipment. The results demonstrate the fast optomagnetic readout of rolling circle products from bacterial DNA utilizing the dynamic properties of MNBs in a miniaturized and low-cost platform requiring only a transparent window in the chip.
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| 42. |
- Fernandes, C., et al.
(author)
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New deep eutectic solvent assisted extraction of highly pure lignin from maritime pine sawdust (Pinus pinaster Ait.)
- 2021
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In: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. - : Elsevier BV. - 0141-8130 .- 1879-0003. ; 177, s. 294-305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lignocellulosic biomass is a renewable and sustainable feedstock, mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. Lignin, as the most abundant natural aromatic polymer occurring on Earth, has great potential to produce value-added products. However, the isolation of highly pure lignin from biomass requires the use of efficient methods during lignocellulose fractionation. Therefore, in this work, novel acidic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were prepared, characterized and screened for lignin extraction from maritime pine wood (Pinus pinaster Ait.) sawdust. The use of cosolvents and the development of new DES were also evaluated regarding their extraction and selectivity performance. The results show that an 1 h extraction process at 175 °C, using a novel DES composed of lactic acid, tartaric acid and choline chloride, named Lact:Tart:ChCl, in a molar ratio of 4:1:1, allows the recovery of 95 wt% of the total lignin present in pine biomass with a purity of 89 wt%. Such superior extraction of lignin with remarkable purity using a “green” solvent system makes this process highly appealing for future large-scale applications.
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- In ’t Veld, Sjors G.J.G., et al.
(author)
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Detection and localization of early- and late-stage cancers using platelet RNA
- 2022
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In: Cancer Cell. - : Elsevier. - 1535-6108 .- 1878-3686. ; 40:9, s. 999-1009.e6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer patients benefit from early tumor detection since treatment outcomes are more favorable for less advanced cancers. Platelets are involved in cancer progression and are considered a promising biosource for cancer detection, as they alter their RNA content upon local and systemic cues. We show that tumor-educated platelet (TEP) RNA-based blood tests enable the detection of 18 cancer types. With 99% specificity in asymptomatic controls, thromboSeq correctly detected the presence of cancer in two-thirds of 1,096 blood samples from stage I–IV cancer patients and in half of 352 stage I–III tumors. Symptomatic controls, including inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases, and benign tumors had increased false-positive test results with an average specificity of 78%. Moreover, thromboSeq determined the tumor site of origin in five different tumor types correctly in over 80% of the cancer patients. These results highlight the potential properties of TEP-derived RNA panels to supplement current approaches for blood-based cancer screening.
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
- Melro, E., et al.
(author)
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Engineering novel phenolic foams with lignin extracted from pine wood residues via a new levulinic-acid assisted process
- 2023
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In: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. - : Elsevier. - 0141-8130 .- 1879-0003. ; 248
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phenolic foams are typically produced from phenolic resins, using phenol and formaldehyde precursors. Therefore, common phenolic foams are non-sustainable, comprising growing environmental, health, and economic concerns. In this work, lignin extracted from pine wood residues using a “green” levulinic acid-based solvent, was used to partially substitute non-sustainable phenol. The novel engineered foams were systematically compared to foams composed of different types of commercially available technical lignins. Different features were analyzed, such as foam density, microstructure (electron microscopy), surface hydrophilicity (contact angle), chemical grafting (infrared spectroscopy) and mechanical and thermal features. Overall, it was observed that up to 30 wt% of phenol can be substituted by the new type of lignin, without compromising the foam properties. This work provides a new insights on the development of novel lignin-based foams as a very promising sustainable and renewable alternative to petrol-based counterparts.
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