Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate data from patients admitted to the first-episode psychotic (FEP) outpatient clinic at the Hospital of Clinics of the Federal University of Pernambuco from July 2018 to July 2021, seeking to identify factors related to better clinical outcomes. Methods: This study was conducted using a convenience sample, including all patients between 15 and 65 years of age who were admitted to the FEP outpatient clinic from July 2018 to July 2021. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using mean and standard deviation or median and interquartile range for continuous quantitative variables, and absolute number/percentage for qualitative variables. Paired T-test, a parametric test, was used to compare PANSS scores upon admission and after 6 months. Spearman’s correlation test was employed to assess the correlation between duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and treatment response with other variables. Results: The sample consisted of 85.3% male individuals, with 50% of patients aged between 19-30 years, and 82% residing in the metropolitan area of Recife. Seventy percent of patients responded to the treatment implemented by the outpatient clinic, and only 30% required psychiatric hospitalization within 6 months of follow-up. The majority of patients had a history of psychoactive substance use (82.4%); however, the use of these substances did not impact the prognosis within the analyzed sample. The median DUP was 4 weeks, and a shorter DUP was associated with a lower probability of psychiatric hospitalization and a greater treatment response (reduction >50% in PANSS). Conclusion: A shorter DUP was associated with a lower likelihood of psychiatric hospitalization and a greater treatment response. Furthermore, the specialized early psychosis outpatient clinic itself appears to yield positive outcomes, as 70% of the treated patients exhibited a positive treatment response.

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The increasing demand for alternatives to antibiotics against resistant bacteria has led to research on natural products. Aim of this study was to analyze the antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity of 16 Mediterranean herb extracts against representative oral microorganisms. The production of ethyl acetate extracts and the assays were carried out under established experimental conditions. The extracts were analyzed using High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts from Achillea taygetea, Cistus creticus ssp. creticus, Cistus monspeliensis, Lavandula stoechas, Mentha aquatica, Mentha longifolia, Origanum vulgare, Phlomis cretica, Rosmarinus officinalis, Salvia sclarea, Satureja parnassica, Satureja thymbra, Sideritis euboea, Sideritis syriaca, Stachys spinosa, and Thymus longicaulis were determined against eight typical oral bacteria and the fungus Candida albicans. Microtiter plate test was conducted to evaluate the antibiofilm activity against Streptococcus mutans. Overall, all tested extracts efficiently suppressed the growth of obligate anaerobic bacteria. The extracts exhibited moderate to high antibiofilm activity comparable to that of chlorhexidine (CHX) against S. mutans. Interestingly, R. officinalis and O. vulgare demonstrated the highest antibacterial activity against oral bacteria. Additionally, R. officinalis and L. stoechas significantly inhibited S. mutans biofilm formation at 0.15 mg / ml. Parvimonas micra showed high susceptibility to R. officinalis, while C. albicans was sensitive to the O. vulgare extract with a minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 2.50 mg / ml. These results suggest that the investigated plant extracts can be considered as alternative natural antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents against infectious oral diseases.

An updated synopsis of the genus Chara L. (Characeae) occurring in India are discussed here in conformity with the available monographs, literatures, related publications, digital herbarium records and online taxonomic databases. The taxonomy and nomenclature are based on the critical review of 51 taxa of Chara L. which include 35 species, 9 varieties and 7 forms so far reported from India. Information related to type citations, range of distribution along with the key for each taxon was included in discussion. The review further marks 9 taxonomically uncertain taxa of India.

An amino-assisting [3+2] cycloaddition strategy of nitrile imines generated in situ with o-aminotrifluoroacetophenones under mild conditions has been constructed, in which a variety of 1,3,4-oxadiazolines bearing CF3-quaternary centers can be obtained in good to excellent yields. The MTT assay shows that the resulting 1,3,4-oxadiazoline derivatives could be the potential candidates for the treatments of head and neck cancers.

Marine mucilage is a cluster of visible organic compounds with a viscous structure and can be found in marine water. Mucilage has been previously reported in the Adriatic Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Ionian Sea. Identification of the mucilage composition is essential to determine which microbial communities are abundant and examine potential marine diseases that affect almost all organisms. For this purpose, eDNA metabarcoding offers quick, reliable, and diverse advantages. In this study, mucilage samples taken from Bandırma Bay are subjected to eDNA metabarcoding by using 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA regions (V3 and V4, respectively) to identify bacterial and eukaryotic diversity. ObiTools and SILVAngs were used for the bioinformatic analysis, and all species-level identifications were made using the NCBI GenBank database. According to the results, abundant species belonged to Polaribacter, Fusibacter, Vibrio, Formosa, Ulvibacter, and Marinifilum in bacterial communities, while species from Alexandrium, Gyrodinium, Thalassiosira, Eucarida, and Protodinium were found as eukaryotic communities populated the mucilage samples. This is the first marine mucilage metabarcoding study evaluating both bacterial and eukaryotic communities.

A new heterotrophic dinoflagellate, Protoperidinium vietnamicum sp. nov. was described from the coastal waters of Viet Nam. It is characterized by its elongation, pentagonal to pyriform body in ventral or dorsal view, and moderately dorsoventrally compressed. Epitheca is tapering into a robust apical horn and shorter than antapical horns. Cingulum equatorial, slightly descending. Sulcus wide, shallow, and slightly oblique. Plate 1’ is ortho-type, and intercalary 2a and 3a plates are pentagonal. Plate 1a is quadrangular, and its area is approximately triple times smaller than plate 3a. A new combination is proposed, the Protoperidinium curvicorne (Böhm) comb. nov. has distinct morphological features from other members of the section Oceanica. It presents a large cell-sized species with a round, broad body, and strong dorsoventral compression. The epitheca abruptly transitions into a slender apical horn strongly tilted towards the ventral side. Cingulum is narrow, shallow, descending, and strongly inclined relative to the equatorial plane of the cell. The plate 1’ is ortho-type, and 2а and 3а are asymmetrical and pentagonal. Both species are provided with detailed descriptions and are illustrated with line drawings, as well as with light microscopy images and SEM micrographs. In-depth discussion and comparison with similar species are presented.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) results in several complications and mortality in ICU patients. The effect of enteral nutrition on the survival of COVID-19 patients in the ICU has been investigated in limited instances. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of enteral feeding with biochemical and pathological indices associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 240 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the ICU including 120 eventually dead patients as the cases and 120 discharged patients as the controls. All of the patients received enteral nutrition. Data on general information, anthropometric measurements, and the results of lab tests were collected. Results: The recovered patients received significantly more high protein (60.8% vs. 39.6%, P=0.004) and high volume (61.6% vs. vs. 42.3%, P=0.005) formula compared to the dead patients. Mortality was inversely associated with high volume (OR:0.45 CI95%, P=0.008) and high protein formula (OR:0.42 CI95%, P=0.003). The results remained significant after adjusting for age and sex. Further adjustment for underlying diseases and smoking, BMI, and APACHII did not change the results. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that there was a significant inverse association between mortality and high volume and high protein formula in COVID-19 patients that warrants further investigation.

A new species of Dactyloctenium (Poaceae) from Jammu and Kashmir is described and illustrated. Among Indian species of Dactyloctenium, the new D. ruderalis is closely related to the only previously known D. aristatum in the region by being non-stoloniferorous. Among others, distinctive characteristics of much taller; peduncle length and bearded curved apex; unequal glumes; ovate lemma; palea wingless and grain striations are features supporting the proposed new species. A thorough description illustrations, photo plates and a key to related species are provided to aid in its identification and differentiation.

Objective：To compare the efficacy and safety of telbivudine (LdT), tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for preventing Hepatitis B transmission in immune-tolerant pregnant women with HBV infection. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving women who had HBV DNA 2 × 105 IU / ml and initiated LdT, TDF or TAF to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). The primary endpoint was the safety of mothers and infants. The secondary endpoints were maternal hepatitis B virus DNA reduction at delivery and mother-to-child transmission rate. Results: A total of 96 patients were enrolled in the study ( LdT group, n=36; TDF group, n=35; TAF group, n=25). All infants received hepatitis B virus immunoprophylaxis. The mother-to-child transmission rate was 0%( [0 of 25] vs. [0 of 35] vs [0 of 36], P＞0.05). No severe liver function damage occurred in any of the mothers. Babies delivered in all groups had prenatal ultrasound screening abnormalities, but abnormality rates were not statistically significant between groups. Conclusion: The application of TDF, TAF, or LdT to immune-tolerant HBV-infected pregnant women in middle-late pregnancy, can successfully interrupt mother-to-child transmission of the HBV virus. However, for all three groups of pregnant women who delivered babies with abnormal prenatal ultrasound screening, an expanded sample size may be needed for further observation.

Background: Periodontitis leads to tooth loss, which is associated with bone loss due to osteoclast differentiation. Exosomes play a key role in periodontitis. M2-polarized macrophages exhibit anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed to explore whether M2 macrophages released exosomes (M2-exos) regulated osteoclastogenesis and the mechanisms. Methods: After isolating M2-exos and identifying them, they were treated with the RANKL-induced raw264.7 cells. Osteoclast differentiation was assessed using tartrate resistant acid phosphatase staining assay and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The underlying mechanisms of M2-exos were evaluated using qPCR and western blotting. Results: The results indicated that M2-exos suppressed osteoclast differentiation induced by RANKL. CSF2 was highly expressed in M2 macrophages, and knockdown of CSF2 further enhanced the inhibitory effects of M2-exos on osteoclast differentiation. CSF2 positively regulated TNF-α signaling, which inhibition also enhanced the role of M2-exos. Conclusion: M2-exos inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by downregulating the CSF2/TNF-α axis. The findings provide theoretical support for the application of macrophage exosomes in the treatment of periodontitis

Hurricanes are natural periodic events that disrupt marine ecosystems along their path, altering the distribution and abundance of organisms. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew struck the Santa Marta region and impacted its coastal zone, yet there have been insufficient studies to measure its effects. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Hurricane Matthew on the meiofaunal community in the Santa Marta region. To achieve this, sediment samples were collected from the intertidal zone of three beaches five days after the hurricane had passed. The results were compared with previous data on the abundance and diversity of taxonomic groups of intertidal meiofauna, as well as physicochemical variables such as granulometry, organic matter, salinity, and water temperature. Following Hurricane Matthew, the physicochemical variables showed changes due to the effect of the cyclonic surge in the coastal zone. The average organism density on the beaches ranged from 29.3 to 250.8 ind./10cm 2, which were lower values than those recorded before the hurricane. However, the total number of recorded taxa was 13, which is close to the 15 previously registered. The ANOSIM test confirmed differences in the meiofaunal community before and after Hurricane Matthew, with nauplius and copepod being the groups that contributed the most to the dissimilarity between periods. The environmental variables of organic matter and temperature best explained the structure of the meiofaunal community after the natural phenomenon. This study highlights the importance of meiofauna as a monitoring tool for beaches and the effects of environmental disturbances such as hurricanes, which are expected to become more common in coastal areas due to climate change.

This paper continues the publication of Aspidistra species newly discovered in the flora of Vietnam. It includes an illustrated description of A. pentagona, found in northern parts of the country. Detailed analytical color illustrations, data on morphology and ecology, phenology, tentative relationships, distribution, and expected conservation status are provided for the discovered species.

This study examines the impact of the deviation between parents' educational expectations and children's parent--child educational expectations on children's health based on the data from Chinese family tracking surveys conducted in 2018 and 2020. We found that when parents' educational expectations are higher than their children's educational expectations, they have a negative impact on children's health status. According to the influence mechanism, the higher the parents' expectations of education are, the greater children's remedial behavior will be, the less leisure time will be, which will adversely affect children's health. Furthermore, we found that a good parent-child relationship moderated the negative impact of the deviation in parent-child educational expectations on children's health. Therefore, in order to ensure the healthy development of children, it is necessary to resolve the adverse effects of the deviation in parent--child educational expectations by arranging tutoring and leisure time rationally and establishing a good parent-child relationship.

Adequate design methods for concrete offshore wind turbines need to be determined through investigations on the characteristics of the dynamic responses and the concrete structural behavior. For these future studies, a reference concrete semi-submersible floater for a 10 MW wind turbine was designed in this study along with the associated cross-sections for the concrete members. A structural assessment was carried out for the ultimate, fatigue, and serviceability limit states. Six cases of combinations of the loading conditions and structural requirements were assumed for the assessment of watertightness, as the required criteria for floating wind turbines is not clarified in the presently available guidelines. The different assessment conditions for watertightness resulted in different design of prestressing tension, which also caused differences in the design margins for the ultimate limit states as well as the SN diagram used for the assessment of the fatigue limit states. The maximum stress acting on the member of the floating wind turbine differed by about 7.6 to 16.2 % for the 50-year and 1-year environmental conditions. The small difference between the stress for the two return periods can be attributed to the large component of the wind turbine thrust in the variable loads. When the partial load factor of 1.0 is used, the structural requirement in the prestressing design caused larger differences compared to the return period of the loading conditions in the watertightness assessment. The use of the partial load factor of 0.5 for the prestressing design also caused a large difference in the results of the structural assessment, indicating the importance of the careful choice of the partial load factor.

The goal of the article has been to identify general risks of universities and faculties that are arising to them regarding the personal data in teaching, research and development based on the social and technological transformation during (and possibly after) the COVID-19 pandemic. Academic activities involve online and blended teaching using the online modern instruments of group electronic communication. The identified risks were based on the review of the literature and legal acts with quantitative research including 959 respondent questionnaires, validated through 7 structured interviews. The first risk involves a potential personal data breach in online communication. The second risk is a potential lack of a data protection training for employees, professors, or students, specifically including the training for employees on the safe leading of online meetings. The third risk involves a default public pre-setting of public access to accounts, files and folders (instead of private pre-setting). The fourth risk involves an insufficient awareness regarding the importance of getting to know privacy policies on various tools or websites and privacy settings in tools. Based on our research, we have come to conclusion that academic institutions should tighten up measures as well as practices regarding the aforementioned risks in order to comply with the GPDR regulation.

Hollow structures with hierarchical architecture and multi-composition have attracted extensive interest because of their fascinating physicochemical properties as well as wide applications. to improve the efficiency of overall water splitting, highly active and stable electrocatalysts are highly desirable. A novel high-efficiency Hierarchical hollow nanosheet-based-nanosphere Co-NiMoO4-HNS electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution was arranged by doping Co on Ni-MoEG yolk/shelll nanosphere. Remarkably, the hierarchical hollow Co2-NiMoO4-HNS catalyst exhibits favorable catalytic performance toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a receivable overpotential of 270 mV achieving a current density of 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1. In expansion, as a electrocatalyst, Co2-NiMo4-HNS appeared to have great long-term steadiness in the electrolyte. This work may give broad hypothetical and specialized back for the plan of cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalysts.

Ag+- assisted dechlorination of Gold(I) and Gold(III) phosphine complexes followed by the reaction with tri-Chloro Catecholato (TRI-H2CA) in presence of Et3N gives a neutral violet complexes whereas 1-9, 8a, 14-16 are Gold(I) two coordinate linear complexes and 10-13 are Gold(III) square planar four coordinate complexes. The seventeen new complexes are charecterised by ESIMS, IR and multinuclear NMR (1H, 13C, 19F; 31P) spectroscopic studies. In addition by dimentional NMR studies as 1H 1H COSY permit a complete assignment of the complexes in the solution phase.

Species of Apiaceae despite uniform floral structure show great variation in floral morphs and sexual distribution. In the present study, ontogeny of the diclinous flowers within “cage-like” inflorescence of the andromonoecious Dicyclophora persica Boiss., studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to recognize whether they follow the same ontogenetic processes. The development of interesting unusual club-like organ in center of the umbel, furthermore, studied. The floral organs in diclinous flowers initiated from the common sectorial group-like primordia. Petals initiated as clockwise direction and stamens as modified helical pattern. Perfect flowers, despite sepal suppression, synchronized with staminate flowers in initiation of petals, stamens and carpels. In staminate flowers, in turn, two prominent sepals arise subsequently after initiation of stamens. Only in late stages, ovules get aborted. The club-like organ initiated from a naked receptacle that has no resemblances to the umbellets or flowers. The prolonged spatial constrains imposed by massive staminate flowers are responsible for suppression of sepals and sessile status of perfect flowers. Considering the ovules suppression, staminate flowers may likely adopt to conserve the perfect flowers from exposing in extreme environmental conditions, but not as substitution for perfect flowers.

Veronica kurdistanica is described and illustrated as a new species. It grows on calcareous rocks in a few sites in an alpine area in western Iran (Kurdistan province). The new species belongs to V. kurdica species group and is putatively closely related to V. daranica, with which it is com-pared. Veronica kurdistanica is distinguished from V. daranica particularly by its glandular in-dumentum. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of nrDNA (ITS) region confirms this relationship as it is assembled in a sub-clade including V. daranica, V. khorassanica and V. kurdica.

Background: Both environmental and edaphic variables plays important role in the structure, composition and distribution of plant communities. We aimed to explore the impact of various topographic and soil physicochemical properties on vegetation in Sultan Khail valley, Hindukush range of Pakistan. Materials and methods: Data was collected during 2017- 2019. For the collection of fieldwork data, the valley was divided into various ecological zones based on altitude, aspect, physiognomy and geographical coordinates. Two hundred relevés were placed for the collection of data. Canopy coverage, cover/abundance of vascular plants species was determined using the Braun-Blanquet’s cover abundance scale. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for various physicochemical properties. In JUICE host program, modified Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) was used to do multivariate analysis of vegetative data. To highlight diagnostic, constant and dominant specie, 40% threshold level was set for fidelity, frequency and cover of species in each association. For Ordination of vegetation, DCA ordination was performed using R Project version 3.6.1. Results: Modified TWINSPAN results into the formation of 5 association of vegetation (1. Abies-Picea-Sibbaldia association (APS), 2. Pinus-Wikstroemia- Galium association (PWG), 3. Ajuga-Artemisia-Quercus association (AAQ), 4. Cotoneaster-Quercus-Indigofera association (CQI) and 5. Conyza-Juglans-Dicliptera association (CJD). The results of DCA ordination indicated that altitude aspect, slope angle, clay (%) potassium and soil pH were the most important factors controlling species distribution in different associations found in Sultan khail valley, Pakistan. Key words: Cluster analysis, DCA Ordination, Vegetation communities, Edaphic and topographic variables, Sultan Khail Valley

Flower longevity refers to the period during which flowers remain open and functional. Orchids are well known for their relatively long-lived flowers. The scape of inflorescences serves as a bridge between nutrient sources and flowers; however, although it plays essential roles in floral display, the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of flower longevity by the scape in Dendrobium orchids remain poorly understood. In this study, using Dendrobium ‘Garnet Beauty’, we investigated the contribution of the scape to flower longevity, based on metabolomic analysis, characterization of physiological responses, and morphological observations. We found no significant differences in the lifespan or morphological structure of the distal or proximal flowers on the scape. However, primary metabolite contents in the distal portion were significantly higher than those in the proximal portion, and the total areas of vascular bundles and phloem in the distal portion were larger than those in the proximal portion, indicating a higher nutrient transport efficiency in the distal portion. Furthermore, the scape showed increases in the contents of different amino acid derivatives and organic acids with age, indicating a relatively efficient recycling and utilization of nutrients within flowers. These findings indicate that the scape contributes to maintaining consistent flower longevity by enhancing nutrient transport capacity and provides storage capability that ensures the delivery of a steady supply of nutrient to flowers.

Endophytes coevolve with plant hosts and thus are more probable to acquire the character (in favor) of producing novel bioactive metabolites. Consequently, the topic has been intensely investigated for over two decades, but endophytic metabolites with neuro-protective effect remain scarce. Here we present the discovery of eight undescribed (named solanapyrones S–X and prosolanapy-rones A and B) and six known pyrones (solanapyrones A–C, E-G) from the culture of Nigrospora oryzae, an endophytic fungus associ-ated with Taxus chinensis var. mairei. The structures and absolute configurations of new pyrones were elucidated by extensive spec-troscopic analysis, modified Mosher’s method, and induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectrum. Solanapyrones A and B and an un-described pyrone (solanapyrone S) were demonstrated to be more neuroprotective than clenbuterol in inducing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (bMSCs) to secret nerve growth factor (NGF). The work updates the pyrone chemodiversity in nature and extends the biofunction repertoire of solanapyrone-related polyketides.

Herein, we report a novel method for the synthesis of thioesters and acyl disulfides via nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-electrophile coupling of acid chlorides with tetrasulfides. This approach for the synthesis of thioesters and acyl disulfides is convenient and practical under mild reaction conditions, relying on easy availability. In addition, a wide range of thioesters and acyl disulfides were obtained in medium to good yields with good functional group tolerance. Moreover, thioesters and acyl disulfides can also be prepared at the gram scale, indicating that they have certain potential for industrial application.