De Souza

Maintaining the abundance of carbon stored aboveground in Amazon forests is central to any comprehensive climate stabilization strategy. Growing ev...

The airway microbial community may shape the variable outcomes of COVID-19, but its role is poorly understood.

Objective To analyze the efficacy and safety of therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD) acute attack. Background NMOSD and MOGAD are ...

This chapter proposes an integrated framework to assess the economic viability of Agriculture 4.0 technologies by combining economic-financial, sociotechnical, and environmental dimensions. The framework is grounded in Innovation Diffusion Theory and multicriteria...

Objective To compare clinical and paraclinical features between hospitalized adults with expert-confirmed autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and those with suspected AE, but alternative final diagnoses, to identify predictors of AE. Background AE commonly ...

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) are notable unconventional edible flowers (UEFs) that have traditionally been used as food and in herbal preparations. This study examined the in vitro bioaccessibility content of six elements (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn) in edible flower capsules sold in Brazil. Acid digestion in a closed system and microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP OES) were employed, as well as simulated gastrointestinal digestion according to the INFOGEST 2.0 in vitro protocol. Additionally, we examined the contribution of the in vitro bioaccessible fraction (FBio) in relation to the recommended daily intake (RDI). The concentrations (in µg g⁻1) of the target elements were as follows: Cr (< 0.46–2.82), Cu (< 0.48–11.45), Fe (159.44–1880.90), Mn (48.94–441.34), Ni (< 0.44–3.21), and Zn (< 0.55–30.98). The FBio of the evaluated elements ranged from 0.13% to 14.31%. Although Fe had high total levels, its bioaccessibility was limited, contributing only 0.13%. In contrast, Mn and Ni exhibited high gastrointestinal release, accounting for 12.13% and 14.31% of the FBio, respectively. Mn showed high gastrointestinal release, providing up to 209.3% of the RDI. This study is the first to specifically evaluate the bioaccessible trace element content of these edible flowers using the INFOGEST 2.0 in vitro protocol and MIP OES to assess microelements. Overall, the results highlight the importance of incorporating chemical composition and bioaccessibility data into the multi-element characterization of dandelion and hibiscus. Graphical Abstract

Vegetation indices derived from freely available satellite imagery have strong potential for crop yield modeling. However, positional inaccuracies and scale mismatches between yield monitor data and satellite imagery, together with noise at native spatial resolutions, can limit their practical applicability. Therefore, this study evaluated the predictive performance of multiple coarser spatial resolutions (10 m to 60 m), generated through pixel aggregation to attenuate spatial noise, for maize yield prediction. Sentinel-2 imagery acquired at phenological stages V8, R1, and R5 was used to compute NDVI, ARVI, and GNDVI vegetation indices. Additionally, two methods for generating raster yield maps were evaluated: mean-based rasterization and focal window aggregation considering harvester swath width. Predictive models were evaluated using spatial k-fold cross-validation. The GNDVI index showed the highest sensitivity, and the R1 stage provided the best predictive performance. Results demonstrated increased correlation and reduced prediction errors with coarser spatial resolutions, indicating effective noise attenuation through spatial aggregation. Mean yield prediction errors decreased from 0.93 $$Mg~ha^{-1}$$ (9.7%) at 10 m resolution to 0.60 $$Mg~ha^{-1}$$ (6.3%) at 40 m, while the $$R^2$$ increased from 0.24 to 0.52. At the 10 m native resolution, the focal method increased the prediction $$R^2$$ by roughly 23% compared to the mean rasterization method. Spatial aggregation significantly enhanced data usability for practical applications. The resulting models demonstrated potential for large-scale yield estimation and management zone delineation, while also providing a foundation for the development of more advanced predictive modeling approaches using available Sentinel-2 imagery.

Although great advances have been made in cancer treatment, lung cancer and glioblastoma patients continue to present a dismal prognosis, mainly due to drug resistance. Evidence suggests that NRF2 and glutathione (GSH) play a fundamental role in chemotherapy resistance. Notably, GSH depletion by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) has been demonstrated to sensitize human tumor cells to a wide variety of chemotherapeutic agents. However, the incorporation of BSO into standard chemotherapy regimens lacks a robust clinical rationale. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms governing differential sensitivity to chemotherapy in lung cancer and glioblastoma cells to identify novel strategies to enhance outcomes in these malignancies. For this purpose, we analyzed several cellular responses in cell lines exhibiting distinct sensitivities to temozolomide (TMZ) and cisplatin. Our findings indicate that the NRF2/GSH pathway plays a crucial role in TMZ and cisplatin resistance and that pharmacological GSH depletion enhances the sensitivity of NRF2-high, chemotherapy-resistant cells to these agents. Furthermore, BSO in combination with TMZ or cisplatin enhanced chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity and engaged both apoptotic and ferroptosis-related responses in NSCLC cells. These findings provide preclinical evidence supporting further investigation of NRF2/GSH targeting as a strategy to overcome chemotherapy resistance. Graphical abstract

Malawi polyomavirus (MWPyV) has been detected in respiratory and gastrointestinal specimens, mostly in children; however there are limited data on its distribution and diversity.

Background Hypertension (HTN) is a major public health issue, with increasing prevalence among Brazilian Indigenous adults, yet its distribution and underlying patterns remain insufficiently characterized. In these populations, social and structural factors, including urbanization and access to healthcare, may play an important role in shaping cardiovascular risk. This study aimed to systematically assess HTN prevalence and explore patterns across different populations. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based cross-sectional studies reporting HTN prevalence among Indigenous adults in Brazil. Five databases were searched without language restrictions. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. Random-effects models were used to estimate pooled prevalence, and subgroup analyses and meta-regression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024626440). Results Twenty-two studies (1989 to 2024), comprising 9,449 Indigenous adults, were included in the systematic review. Seventeen population-specific estimates, comprising 5,908 individuals and 1,209 with HTN, met the predefined diagnostic criteria and were included in the primary meta-analysis. The pooled HTN prevalence was 8.2% (95% CI, 3.9–16.4%), with substantial between-estimate heterogeneity (I²=94.3%; 95% prediction interval, 0.3–73.2%). Studies with a mean age ≥ 40 years showed a higher pooled prevalence (19.5%) than those with a mean age < 40 years (3.6%). Meta-regression identified year of data collection and mean age as significant moderators, explaining 39.1% and 17.1% of between-estimate heterogeneity, respectively. Geographic region and area of residence were not significant moderators. The substantial heterogeneity and incomplete reporting of relevant population characteristics limited the interpretation of contextual factors. Conclusion HTN prevalence among Brazilian Indigenous populations was highly heterogeneous across the populations represented in the available evidence. Although differences were observed according to age, geographic context, and study period, these findings should not be interpreted as population-level regional estimates or as evidence of an independent effect of urbanization. Substantial heterogeneity and methodological limitations restrict causal inference and precise estimation of HTN prevalence across all Brazilian Indigenous populations. These findings highlight the need for standardized, culturally sensitive research and context-specific public health strategies addressing hypertension prevention, screening, management, and health disparities.