Daylight Photoactive TiO2 Sol-Gel Nanoparticles: Sustainable Environmental Contribution.

Visible-light-photoactive titania micro- or nanoparticles excel in a wide range of industrial areas, particularly in environmental remediation. The sol-gel methodology is one pivotal technique which has been successfully used to synthesize either crystalline and amorphous TiO2 micro- and nanoparticles due to its outstanding chemical simplicity and versatility, along with the green chemistry approach. This short review aims to collect and discuss the most recent developments in visible-light-photoactive titania-based nanoparticles in the environmental remediation area. Titania co-doping, titania composite design, and, recently, amorphous networks have been the most used strategies to address this goal. Finally, a prediction regarding the future of these fields is given.

Improving Structural Homogeneity, Hydraulic Permeability, and Mechanical Performance of Asymmetric Monophasic Cellulose Acetate/Silica Membranes: Spinodal Decomposition Mix.

In this paper, we propose an optimized protocol to synthesize reproducible, accurate, sustainable integrally skinned monophasic hybrid cellulose acetate/silica membranes for ultrafiltration. Eight different membrane compositions were studied, divided into two series, one and two, each composed of four membranes. The amount of silica increased from 0 wt.% up to 30 wt.% (with increments of 10 wt.%) in each series, while the solvent composition was kept constant within each series (formamide/acetone ratio equals 0.57 wt.% in series one and 0.73 wt.% in series two). The morphology of the membranes was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and the chemical composition by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, in attenuated total reflection mode (FTIR-ATR). Mechanical tensile properties were determined using tensile tests, and a retest trial was performed to assess mechanical properties variability over different membrane batches. The hydraulic permeability of the membranes was evaluated by measuring pure water fluxes following membrane compaction. The membranes in series two produced with a higher formamide/acetone solvent ratio led to thicker membranes with higher hydraulic permeability values (47.2-26.39 kg·h-1·m-2·bar-1) than for the membranes in series one (40.01-19.4 kg·h-1·m-2·bar-1). Results obtained from the FTIR-ATR spectra suggest the presence of micro/nano-silica clusters in the hybrid membranes of series one, also exhibiting higher Young's modulus values than the hybrid membranes in series two.

Serology for visceral leishmaniasis: How trusty is the accuracy reported by the manufacturers?

Timely and accurate diagnosis is one of the strategies for managing visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Given the specificities of this infection, which affects different vulnerable populations, the local assessment of the accuracy of the available diagnostic test is a requirement for the good use of resources. In Brazil, performance data are required for test registration with the National Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), but there are no minimum requirements established for performance evaluation. Here, we compared the accuracy reported in the manufacturer's instructions of commercially available VL-diagnostic tests in Brazil, and the accuracies reported in the scientific literature which were obtained after test commercialization. The tests were identified via the electronic database of ANVISA, and their accuracy was obtained from the manufacturer's instructions. A literature search for test accuracy was performed using two databases. A total of 28 VL diagnostic tests were identified through the ANVISA database. However, only 13 presented performance data in the manufacturer's instructions, with five immunoenzymatic tests, three indirect immunofluorescence tests, one chemiluminescence test, and four rapid tests. For most tests, the manufacturers did not provide the relevant information, such as sample size, reference standards, and study site. The literature review identified accuracy data for only 61.5% of diagnostic tests registered in Brazil. These observations confirmed that there are significant flaws in the process of registering health technologies and highlighted one of the reasons for the insufficient control of policies, namely, the use of potentially inaccurate and inappropriate diagnostic tools for a given scenario.

Serology for visceral leishmaniasis: How trusty is the accuracy reported by the manufacturers?

ABSTRACT Timely and accurate diagnosis is one of the strategies for managing visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Given the specificities of this infection, which affects different vulnerable populations, the local assessment of the accuracy of the available diagnostic test is a requirement for the good use of resources. In Brazil, performance data are required for test registration with the National Regulatory Agency (ANVISA), but there are no minimum requirements established for performance evaluation. Here, we compared the accuracy reported in the manufacturer's instructions of commercially available VL-diagnostic tests in Brazil, and the accuracies reported in the scientific literature which were obtained after test commercialization. The tests were identified via the electronic database of ANVISA, and their accuracy was obtained from the manufacturer's instructions. A literature search for test accuracy was performed using two databases. A total of 28 VL diagnostic tests were identified through the ANVISA database. However, only 13 presented performance data in the manufacturer's instructions, with five immunoenzymatic tests, three indirect immunofluorescence tests, one chemiluminescence test, and four rapid tests. For most tests, the manufacturers did not provide the relevant information, such as sample size, reference standards, and study site. The literature review identified accuracy data for only 61.5% of diagnostic tests registered in Brazil. These observations confirmed that there are significant flaws in the process of registering health technologies and highlighted one of the reasons for the insufficient control of policies, namely, the use of potentially inaccurate and inappropriate diagnostic tools for a given scenario.

Julgamentos metacognitivos e o desempenho de idosos em tarefas de memória / Metacognitive judgments and the performance of the elderly in memory tasks / Juicios metacognitivos y el desempeño de los ancianos en tareas de memoria

O estudo objetivou investigar o monitoramento metacognitivo de idosos por meio da análise de relações entre o desempenho estimado por eles e seus reais desempenhos em tarefas de memória de curto prazo. Participaram 30 idosos não acamados, sem sinais relatados de demência ou indicados por meio do Miniexame do Estado Mental, de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 65 e 90 anos, além de uma pessoa próxima a cada um deles, totalizando 60 participantes. O contato com a amostra foi realizado por meio da estratégia de Snowball Sampling Aproach. Os materiais apresentados aos participantes idosos foram o Miniexame do Estado Mental, os subtestes Aritmética, Dígitos e Sequência de Números e Letras do WAIS III, e o Registro de Julgamentos Metacognitivos. Para os participantes que eram figuras próximas de cada idoso foi apresentado o Questionário para Informantes Múltiplos sobre o Desempenho de Idosos em Tarefas de Memória. Os resultados dos subtestes Aritmética, Dígitos e Sequência de Números e Letras do WAIS III foram correlacionados aos julgamentos dos idosos e das pessoas próximas quanto ao desempenho dos idosos nos subtestes. Foram encontradas correlações fortes e significativas entre os julgamentos e o desempenho real para os três subtestes e correlações moderadas e significativas entre julgamentos de pessoas próximas e o desempenho real dos idosos nos subtestes. Os resultados indicaram que idosos sem sinais de prejuízo cognitivo e seus cuidadores/familiares podem julgar adequadamente os desempenhos em tarefas de memória

The study aimed to investigate the metacognitive monitoring of elderly people by analyzing the relationships between their estimated performance and their actual performance in short-term memory tasks. Thirty elderly individuals who were not bedridden, with no reported signs of dementia or indicated through the Mini Mental State Examination, of both genders, aged between 65 and 90 years, in addition to a person close to each of them participated, totaling 60 participants. Contact with the sample was performed using the Snowball Sam-pling Aproach strategy. The materials presented to the elderly participants were the Mini Mental State Examination, the WAIS III Arithmetic, Digits and Sequence of Numbers and Letters subtests, the Metacognitive Judgments Registry. For participants who were figures close to each elderly person, the Questionnaire for Multiple Informers on the Performance of Elderly Persons in Memory Tasks was presented. The results of the WAIS III Arithmetic, Digits and Sequence of Numbers and Letters subtests were correlated to the judgments of the elderly and those close to them regarding the performance of the elderly in the subtests. Strong and significant correlations were found between judgments and actual performance for the three subtests and moderate and significant correlations were found between judgments of close people and the actual performance of the elderly in the subtests. The results indicated that the elderly, caregivers/family members can properly judge performance in memory tasks

El estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el seguimiento metacognitivo de las personas mayores mediante el análisis de las relaciones entre su rendimiento estimado y su rendimiento real en tareas de memória a corto plazo. Participaron 30 ancianos que nos se encontraban postrados en cama, sin signos reportados de demencia o índicados a través del Mini Examen del Estado Mental, de ambos sexos, con edades entre 65 y 90 años, además de una persona cercana a cada uno de ellos, totalizando 60 participantes. El contacto con la muestra se realizó mediante la estrategia Snowball Sampling Aproach. Los materiales presentados a los participantes mayores fueron el Mini Examen del Estado Mental, las subpruebas de Aritmética, Dígitos y Secuencia de Números y Letras WAIS III, el Registro de Juicios Metacognitivos. Para los participantes que eran figuras cercanas a cada anciano, se presentó el Cuestionario para Informantes Múltiples sobre el Desempeño de las Personas Mayores en Tareas de Memória. Los resultados de las subpruebas de Aritmética, Dígitos y Secuencia de Números y Letras WAIS III se correlacionaron con los juicios de los ancianos y sus allegados sobre el desempeño de los ancianos en las subpruebas. Se encontraron correlaciones fuertes y significativas entre los juicios y el desempeño real para las tres subpruebas y se encontraron correlaciones moderadas y significativas entre los juicios de personas cercanas y el desempeño real de los ancianos en las subpruebas. Los resultados indicaron que los ancianos, los cuidadores / miembros de la familia pueden juzgar adecuadamente el desempeño en las tareas de memória

Interaction of Human Serum Albumin with Uremic Toxins: The Need of New Strategies Aiming at Uremic Toxins Removal.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is acknowledged worldwide to be a grave threat to public health, with the number of US end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients increasing steeply from 10,000 in 1973 to 703,243 in 2015. Protein-bound uremic toxins (PBUTs) are excreted by renal tubular secretion in healthy humans, but hardly removed by traditional haemodialysis (HD) in ESKD patients. The accumulation of these toxins is a major contributor to these sufferers' morbidity and mortality. As a result, some improvements to dialytic removal have been proposed, each with their own upsides and drawbacks. Longer dialysis sessions and hemodiafiltration, though, have not performed especially well, while larger dialyzers, coupled with a higher dialysate flow, proved to have some efficiency in indoxyl sulfate (IS) clearance, but with reduced impact on patients' quality of life. More efficient in removing PBUTs was fractionated plasma separation and adsorption, but the risk of occlusive thrombosis was worryingly high. A promising technique for the removal of PBUTs is binding competition, which holds great hopes for future HD. This short review starts by presenting the PBUTs chemistry with emphasis on the chemical interactions with the transport protein, human serum albumin (HSA). Recent membrane-based strategies targeting PBUTs removal are also presented, and their efficiency is discussed.

Novel Cellulose Acetate-Based Monophasic Hybrid Membranes for Improved Blood Purification Devices: Characterization under Dynamic Conditions.

A novel cellulose acetate-based monophasic hybrid skinned amine-functionalized CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane was synthesized using an innovative method which combines the phase inversion and sol-gel techniques. Morphological characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the chemical composition was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflection mode (ATR-FTIR). The characterization of the monophasic hybrid CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane in terms of permeation properties was carried out in an in-house-built single hemodialysis membrane module (SHDMM) under dynamic conditions. Permeation experiments were performed to determine the hydraulic permeability (Lp), molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) and the rejection coefficients to urea, creatinine, uric acid, and albumin. SEM confirmed the existence of a very thin (<1 µm) top dense layer and a much thicker bottom porous surface, and ATR-FTIR showed the main bands belonging to the CA-based membranes. Permeation studies revealed that the Lp and MWCO of the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane were 66.61 kg·h-1·m-2·bar-1 and 24.5 kDa, respectively, and that the Lp was 1.8 times higher compared to a pure CA membrane. Furthermore, the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane fully permeated urea, creatinine, and uric acid while completely retaining albumin. Long-term filtration studies of albumin solutions indicated that fouling does not occur at the surface of the CA-SiO2-(CH2)3NH2 membrane.

Smart Shockwave Responsive Titania-Based Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment.

Nanomedicine is an emerging treatment approach for many cancers, characterized by having high sensitivity and selectivity for tumor cells and minimal toxic effects induced by the conventional chemotherapeutics. In these context, smart nanoparticles (NPs) are getting increasingly relevant in the development of new therapies. NPs with specific chemical composition and/or structure and being stimuli-responsive to magnetic, light or ultrasound waves are new promising tools. In the present work, amorphous-titania propyl-amine functionalized (a-TiO2-NH2) NPs, coated with bovine serum albumin (BSA), are stimulated with high energy shock waves to induce cytotoxic effects in cancer cells. First, a new method to coat a-TiO2-NH2 NPs with BSA (a-TiO2-NH2/BSA) was proposed, allowing for a high dispersion and colloidal stability in a cell culture media. The a-TiO2-NH2/BSA NPs showed no cancer cell cytotoxicity. In a second step, the use of shock waves to stimulate a-TiO2-NH2/BSA NPs, was evaluated and optimized. A systematic study was performed in in vitro cell culture aiming to impair the cancer cell viability: NP concentrations, time steps and single versus multiple shock waves treatments were studied. The obtained results highlighted the relevance of NPs design and administration time point with respect to the shock wave treatment and allow to hypothesize mechanical damages to cells.

A relação entre extroversão e criatividade: um estudo com universitários brasileiros / The relation between extraversion and creativity: a study with brazilian students

A personalidade é considerada um dos elementos de maior importância na elaboração do produto criativo. Neste trabalho, especificamente, foi analisada a relação do traço de personalidade "extroversão" no processo criativo de 30 estudantes universitários, de ambos os gêneros. Para a avaliação da extroversão foi aplicada a Escala Fatorial de Extroversão, em seguida foram apresentados os Testes de Pensamento Criativo de Torrance, possibilitando a avaliação da criatividade. Os resultados apontaram a relação entre a extroversão e criatividade, sendo que os fatores da extroversão que se correlacionaram com o processo criativo foram comunicação e altivez, por outro lado, o fator assertividade não apresentou correlação com os Índices Criativos. De maneira geral, os resultados mostraram que há associação entre extroversão e criatividade, de modo que, nas dimensões avaliadas, os indivíduos mais extrovertidos tenderam a ser mais criativos do que aqueles considerados introvertidos.

Personality is considered one of the most important elements in creative product development. Specifically in this paper, the relationship between the "extraversion" personality trait and the creative processes was investigated among a population of 30 college students of both genders. The Extraversion Factorial Scale was applied to evaluate the extraversion, then the Torrance tests of creative thinking were applied, in order to evaluate the creativity. Results showed significant correlations between creativity and factors of "communication" and "conceit". However, the factor "assertiveness" did not present correlations with Creative Indexes. Thus, the results show that there is, in general, a relationship between extraversion and creativity, so that in the assessed dimensions, more extroverted individuals tend to be more creative than introverted ones.