Ketoprofen Loaded in Natural Rubber Latex Transdermal Patch for Tendinitis Treatment

Ketoprofen is an analgesic with potent anti-inflammatory activity against acute inflammation, subacute inflammation, for the acute and long-term treatment of various inflammatory pathologies, as rheumatoid arthritis and colonic adenocarcinoma. In order to minimize the incidence of systemic events related to ketoprofen, the transdermal drug delivery system development has been most important. The advantages of using natural rubber latex membranes include not only the reduction of adverse systemic events, but also the suitability of the low cost of the material together with its physicochemical properties such as flexibility, mechanical stability, surface porosity and water vapor permeability, and besides being a biocompatible material also presents biological activity to stimulate the angiogenesis, being able to be used in tissue repair. This study demonstrated that ketoprofen was successfully incorporated into natural latex membranes for drug delivery. FTIR indicated that the drug did not interact chemically with the membrane. Moreover, the natural latex membranes released 60% of the ketoprofen incorporated in 50 h. SEM images indicated that a portion of the drug was present on the membrane surface, being this portion responsible for the burst release. The tensile tests showed that the addition of the drug into the natural latex membrane did not influence on the polymer mechanical behavior. In addition, drug-natural latex membranes presented no red blood cell damaging effects. Our data shows that the ketoprofen loaded natural latex membranes is a promising system for sustained drug delivery which can be used to minimize the adverse side effects of high dose systemic drug delivery.     

Habitat differences affect the nuclear morphology of the erythrocytes and the hepatic melanin in Leptodactylus fuscus (Anura) in the Brazilian Cerrado savanna

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The sensitivity of anuran to the effects of habitat destruction and contamination has led to a preoccupying global decline in their populations....     

SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review of indoor air sampling for virus detection

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - In a post-pandemic scenario, indoor air monitoring may be required seeking to safeguard public health, and therefore well-defined methods, protocols,...     

Factors driving sediment compositional change in the distal area of the Ria de Vigo (NW Spain): oceanographic processes vs. paleopollution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - We analyze potential Late Holocene metal contamination along a sediment core collected in the distal zone of Ria de Vigo (North Spain). Statistical...     

Geographical Range Size and the Conservation of Mexican Mammals

Range was estimated for the 423 noninsular mammals of Mexico to identify those species with more restricted distributions and to detect priority areas for conservation based on the presence of such species. Thirty-eight percent of nonvolant mammals and 15.4% of bats are restricted in Mexico to areas of less than 114,000 km². Restricted species were defined as those occurring in ranges smaller than the median for bats and for nonvolant species. Following this criterion, most nonvolant species with restricted distribution in Mexico are either endemic to the country or are shared with the United States, whereas endemic chiropteran species are few, and most Mexican bats with restricted distribution also occur in South America. Nonvolant mammals with restricted distribution in Mexico tend to be of small body size, herbivore or granivore, and fossorial or semifossorial. Among bats, gleaners are significantly more restricted than aerial insectivores. Species with restricted distribution are inadequately represented in the current official list of endangered species, particularly in the case of nonvolant mammals. Similarly, some areas of Mexico that harbor several species with restricted distribution are not represented in the Mexican system of protected areas. Therefore, rarity, in this case measured by the area of distribution, should be included as an additional criterion for conservation of the Mexican mammal fauna.     

Invertebrate community responses to recreational clam digging

Marine reserves can help in maintaining biodiversity and potentially be useful as a fishery management tool by removing human-mediated impacts. Intertidal, soft-sediment habitats can often support robust recreational and commercial shellfish harvests, especially for clams; however, there is limited research on the effects of reserves in these habitats. In San Juan County, Washington, several reserves prohibit recreational clam digging. We examined the effects of these reserves on infaunal community composition through comparison with non-reserve beaches during a 6-week period. Clam abundance, overall species richness and total polychaete family richness were greater on reserve beaches compared to non-reserve beaches. Additionally, an experiment within a reserve demonstrated negative impacts of digging on non-target infauna. These effects probably resulted from local disruption and disturbance of the sediment habitat and not from increased post-digging predation, which was controlled. Intertidal reserves could play an important role in sustaining local and potentially regional biodiversity.     

Toxicological responses in Laeonereis acuta (annelida, polychaeta) after arsenic exposure

Several environmental pollutants, including metals, can induce oxidative stress. So, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of arsenic (As(III), as As(2)O(3)) on the antioxidant responses in the polychaete Laeonereis acuta. Worms were exposed to two environmentally relevant concentrations of As, including the highest previously allowed by Brazilian legislation (50 microg As/l). A control group was kept in saline water (10 per thousand) without added metal. It was observed that: (1) a peak concentration of lipid peroxide was registered after 2 days of exposure to 50 microg As/l (61+/-3.2 nmol CHP/g wet weight) compared to the control group (43+/-4.5 nmol CHP/g wet weight), together with a lowering of the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase (-47 and -48%, at 50 or 500 microg As/l respectively) and a higher superoxide dismutase activity (+305% at 50 microg As/l with respect to the control group); (2) a lower conjugation capacity through glutathione-S-transferase activity was observed after 7 days of exposure to 50 microg As/l (-48% compared to the control group); (3) a significant increase in As concentration was verified after 1 week of exposure to both As concentrations (50 and 500 microg/l); (4) worms exposed to As showed a limited accumulation of related methylated As species and the levels of non-toxic As species like arsenobetaine (AsB) and arsenocholine (AsC) remained unchanged during the exposure period when compared with the controls. Overall, it can be concluded that As interfered in the antioxidant defense system of L. acuta, even at low concentrations (50 microg/l) that Brazilian legislation previously considered safe. The fact that worms exposed to As showed high levels of methylated As species indicates the methylation capability of L. acuta, although the high levels of inorganic As suggest that not all the administered As(III) (as As(2)O(3)) is completely removed or biotransformed after 7 days of exposure.     

Intake of uranium and radium-226 due to food crops consumption in the phosphate region of Pernambuco--Brazil

The phosphate region located in the Northeast of Brazil covers an area of approximately 150 km long with an average width of 4 km, along the coast of the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba. The inhabitants of this area are exposed to natural radioactivity levels higher than the background values recorded in the literature, mainly due to the presence of uranium and its decay products in the phosphatic sediments. The main aim of this study was to determine the activity concentration of uranium and (226)Ra in foodstuffs cultivated in this area, where the phosphate mineral has been extracted. The activity concentrations found for uranium and (226)Ra in the foodstuffs analyzed varied from 13 to 186 mBq kg(-1) (wet weight), with a mean value of 46 mBq kg(-1) and from 43 to 2209 mBq kg(-1) (wet weight), with a mean value of 358 mBq kg(-1), respectively. The annual intake of these radionuclides, for rural residents, was 7.45 Bq for uranium and 69.3 Bq for (226)Ra.     

Treatment of effluent from re‐refined lubricating oils by combined processes of coagulation,flocculation, and Fenton process

This work examines the possibility and the potential application of physicochemical processes (coagulation and flocculation) and advanced oxidative processes (Fenton Process) in the treatment of effluents from the re‐refining of used lubricating oils.