cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276239
title: Cannabinoid receptor-1 antagonism: a new perspective on treating a murine schistosomal liver fibrosis model

description: BACKGROUND Formation of schistosomal granulomata surrounding the ova can result in schistosomiasis-associated liver fibrosis (SSLF). The current standard of treatment is praziquantel (PZQ), which cannot effectively reverse SSLF. The role of the cannabinoid (CB) receptor family in liver fibrosis has recently been highlighted. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the therapeutic effect of CB1 receptor antagonism in reversing SSLF in a murine model of Schistosoma mansoni infection. METHODS One hundred male Swiss albino mice were divided equally into five groups: healthy uninfected control (group I), infected control (group II), PZQ treated (group III), rimonabant (RIM) (SR141716, a CB1 receptor antagonist)-treated (group IV) and group V was treated with combined PZQ and RIM. Liver sections were obtained for histopathological examination, alpha-1 smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunostaining and assessment of CB1 receptor expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). FINDINGS The most effective reduction in fibrotic marker levels and granuloma load was achieved by combined treatment with PZQ+RIM (group V): CB1 receptor expression (H = 26.612, p &lt; 0.001), number of α-SMA-positive cells (F = 57.086, p &lt; 0.001), % hepatic portal fibrosis (F = 42.849, p &lt; 0.001) and number of granulomata (F = 69.088, p &lt; 0.001). MAIN CONCLUSIONS Combining PZQ with CB1 receptor antagonists yielded the best results in reversing SSLF. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test this regimen in S. mansoni infection.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276245.v1
title: Fibrosis: a distinguishing feature in the pathology of neural leprosy

description: BACKGROUND Fibrosis in the peripheral nerve is the end stage of leprous neuropathy and the cause of the resulting permanent neural function impairments. Preventive measures to avoid this irreversible pathological state are a relief strategy for leprosy sufferers. OBJECTIVES The present study describes the frequency of fibrosis along with its characterisation and pathogenic development. METHODS Six-hundred-and-thirteen nerve samples were sorted from 278 neural leprosy (NL) and 335 non-leprosy neuropathy patients (ON). The total number of samples was histologically examined by routine staining methods (haematoxylin-eosin, Wade staining and Gomori’s trichrome) and fibrosis was evaluated via semi-quantitative estimation. FINDINGS Fibrosis was most frequent in the NL group (33% against 0.4% in ON) while fibrosis in association with endoneurial microfasciculation was found in 38 (41.3%) of the NL samples in the examination of semithin sections. Pericytic activation in the perivascular environment was confirmed to be the source of the fibroblasts and perineurial cells delimiting microfascicles. End-stage fibrosis in leprosy displays an arrangement of microfascicles devoid of neural components (i.e., Schwann cells and axons) lined by an intermediate phenotype of fibroblastic-perineurial cells filled with bundles of collagen fibres. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The present study underscores that fibrosis is frequently the severe end stage of neural leprosy NL pathogeny after analysing the notably distinct development of fibrosis within the neural environment.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276233
title: Spatial distribution in marine invertebrates in rocky shore of Araucania Region (38° S, Chile)

description: Abstract The rocky shores in Chile have a wide invertebrate species diversity, that include species with marked abundances in determined regions. The aim of the present study is to analyse the spatial distribution pattern in different marine invertebrate species in rocky shore of Araucania region, considering if these species have random, uniform or associated patterns, and extrapolate if these patterns have Poisson, binomial or negative binomial distribution respectively. The results revealed the presence mainly of gastropods molluscs that would graze on benthic algae, these species have mainly aggregated pattern that has a robust negative binomial distribution pattern. The obtained results agree with observations for marine benthic fauna that mentioned the presence of aggregated pattern, has negative binomial distribution. Other ecological topics about spatial distribution were discussed.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276236
title: Phyto- and Bio-Chemical evaluation of Diospyros kaki L. cultivated in Egypt and its biological activities

description: Abstract Diospyros kaki L. or Costata cultivar is the main persimmon variety progressively consumed in the Egyptian market and exportation. The objective of this study was to investigate the bioprotective effects of the alcoholic extract of fruits as well as leaves of D. kaki using in-vivo rat models. Petroleum ether extracts of fruits and leaves were analytically characterized for saponifiable and unsaponifiable compounds by GC/MS. Main flavonoids were chromatographically isolated from 80% aqueous methanol extract of leaves. Chemical evaluation for fruits and leaves namely, content of moisture, ash, proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, fat and water soluble vitamins, minerals, carotenoids was carried out. Total antioxidant activity was determined by radical scavenging effects using DPPH assay. The effect on biochemical parameters and its biological activity were also performed. Results revealed the identification of the major compounds of saponifiable and unsaponifiable matters of fruits and leaves. Scopoletin, as well as, kaempferol, luteolin, rutin and apigenin 7-O-glucoside were isolated and identified. It showed that this plant can provide a good nutritional value and it is safe regarding the kidney and liver functions, good source that help in enhancing the antioxidant defense against free radicals. No abnormal effects were found in lipids profile on experimental animals and there were good results in the ratio of HDL and LDL cholesterol. Also, this plant can help in optimizing blood sugar, enhancing the level of blood haemoglobin. It is concluded that D. kaki displays a good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds that may contribute to its therapeutic benefits against the risk of disease complications.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276230
title: Students with Better School Results Have Less Complex Cognitive Structures

description: Abstract This article describes a learning experience with the aim at studying the complexity relationship between cognitive structures and school performances. Its graphic representation was made possible by using the Pathfinder Associative Networks technique and the GOLUCA software. This research involved 79 students with ages between 14 and 16 years old who attended the 9th grade of Portuguese schools. In a first approach, we identified the network that better represented the relations among the concepts in a geometry topic. Students did a knowledge test and a GOLUCA test before and after the topics were taught and, therefore, it was possible to analyze and compare the evolution of their cognitive structures having in mind their school performances. The results of our study suggest that this new approach may be part of an useful method to study and understand the conceptual networks of students during the process of learning Mathematics or other subjects’ topics, allowing the teacher to watch the students’ learning progress in a more complete way and consequently, accomplishing a better adequacy of tasks and teaching methods.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276239.v1
title: Cannabinoid receptor-1 antagonism: a new perspective on treating a murine schistosomal liver fibrosis model

description: BACKGROUND Formation of schistosomal granulomata surrounding the ova can result in schistosomiasis-associated liver fibrosis (SSLF). The current standard of treatment is praziquantel (PZQ), which cannot effectively reverse SSLF. The role of the cannabinoid (CB) receptor family in liver fibrosis has recently been highlighted. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess the therapeutic effect of CB1 receptor antagonism in reversing SSLF in a murine model of Schistosoma mansoni infection. METHODS One hundred male Swiss albino mice were divided equally into five groups: healthy uninfected control (group I), infected control (group II), PZQ treated (group III), rimonabant (RIM) (SR141716, a CB1 receptor antagonist)-treated (group IV) and group V was treated with combined PZQ and RIM. Liver sections were obtained for histopathological examination, alpha-1 smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunostaining and assessment of CB1 receptor expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). FINDINGS The most effective reduction in fibrotic marker levels and granuloma load was achieved by combined treatment with PZQ+RIM (group V): CB1 receptor expression (H = 26.612, p &lt; 0.001), number of α-SMA-positive cells (F = 57.086, p &lt; 0.001), % hepatic portal fibrosis (F = 42.849, p &lt; 0.001) and number of granulomata (F = 69.088, p &lt; 0.001). MAIN CONCLUSIONS Combining PZQ with CB1 receptor antagonists yielded the best results in reversing SSLF. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test this regimen in S. mansoni infection.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276233.v1
title: Spatial distribution in marine invertebrates in rocky shore of Araucania Region (38° S, Chile)

description: Abstract The rocky shores in Chile have a wide invertebrate species diversity, that include species with marked abundances in determined regions. The aim of the present study is to analyse the spatial distribution pattern in different marine invertebrate species in rocky shore of Araucania region, considering if these species have random, uniform or associated patterns, and extrapolate if these patterns have Poisson, binomial or negative binomial distribution respectively. The results revealed the presence mainly of gastropods molluscs that would graze on benthic algae, these species have mainly aggregated pattern that has a robust negative binomial distribution pattern. The obtained results agree with observations for marine benthic fauna that mentioned the presence of aggregated pattern, has negative binomial distribution. Other ecological topics about spatial distribution were discussed.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276236.v1
title: Phyto- and Bio-Chemical evaluation of Diospyros kaki L. cultivated in Egypt and its biological activities

description: Abstract Diospyros kaki L. or Costata cultivar is the main persimmon variety progressively consumed in the Egyptian market and exportation. The objective of this study was to investigate the bioprotective effects of the alcoholic extract of fruits as well as leaves of D. kaki using in-vivo rat models. Petroleum ether extracts of fruits and leaves were analytically characterized for saponifiable and unsaponifiable compounds by GC/MS. Main flavonoids were chromatographically isolated from 80% aqueous methanol extract of leaves. Chemical evaluation for fruits and leaves namely, content of moisture, ash, proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, fat and water soluble vitamins, minerals, carotenoids was carried out. Total antioxidant activity was determined by radical scavenging effects using DPPH assay. The effect on biochemical parameters and its biological activity were also performed. Results revealed the identification of the major compounds of saponifiable and unsaponifiable matters of fruits and leaves. Scopoletin, as well as, kaempferol, luteolin, rutin and apigenin 7-O-glucoside were isolated and identified. It showed that this plant can provide a good nutritional value and it is safe regarding the kidney and liver functions, good source that help in enhancing the antioxidant defense against free radicals. No abnormal effects were found in lipids profile on experimental animals and there were good results in the ratio of HDL and LDL cholesterol. Also, this plant can help in optimizing blood sugar, enhancing the level of blood haemoglobin. It is concluded that D. kaki displays a good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds that may contribute to its therapeutic benefits against the risk of disease complications.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276230.v1
title: Students with Better School Results Have Less Complex Cognitive Structures

description: Abstract This article describes a learning experience with the aim at studying the complexity relationship between cognitive structures and school performances. Its graphic representation was made possible by using the Pathfinder Associative Networks technique and the GOLUCA software. This research involved 79 students with ages between 14 and 16 years old who attended the 9th grade of Portuguese schools. In a first approach, we identified the network that better represented the relations among the concepts in a geometry topic. Students did a knowledge test and a GOLUCA test before and after the topics were taught and, therefore, it was possible to analyze and compare the evolution of their cognitive structures having in mind their school performances. The results of our study suggest that this new approach may be part of an useful method to study and understand the conceptual networks of students during the process of learning Mathematics or other subjects’ topics, allowing the teacher to watch the students’ learning progress in a more complete way and consequently, accomplishing a better adequacy of tasks and teaching methods.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276221
title: Basic sanitation as human dignity: between the minimum existential and the reserve of the possible

description: ABSTRACT The path that this work proposes to go through involves observing the effectiveness of fundamental rights in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, introducing basic sanitation as indicator and highlighting the minimum existential and a reserve of the possible as measures to identify the demands of the sector. Sustaining in the scarcity of financial resources that prevent the expansion of structures sanitary sewage, water supply, drainage of rainwater and solid waste collection, Teresina distanced itself from what is considered as the minimum existential in sanitation by the Law no. 11.445/2007. Reserve of the possible cannot be invoked when it affects human dignity. The documentary analysis used in this research revealed that the municipality does not comply with the Federal Constitution, because it does not offer conditions to avoid that the dignity of the human person is disregarded within the territorial limits.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276221.v1
title: Basic sanitation as human dignity: between the minimum existential and the reserve of the possible

description: ABSTRACT The path that this work proposes to go through involves observing the effectiveness of fundamental rights in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, introducing basic sanitation as indicator and highlighting the minimum existential and a reserve of the possible as measures to identify the demands of the sector. Sustaining in the scarcity of financial resources that prevent the expansion of structures sanitary sewage, water supply, drainage of rainwater and solid waste collection, Teresina distanced itself from what is considered as the minimum existential in sanitation by the Law no. 11.445/2007. Reserve of the possible cannot be invoked when it affects human dignity. The documentary analysis used in this research revealed that the municipality does not comply with the Federal Constitution, because it does not offer conditions to avoid that the dignity of the human person is disregarded within the territorial limits.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276215
title: Procedures for analysis and validation of attributes of water quality

description: ABSTRACT Inadequate treatment of liquid effluents, as well as inadequate treatment, characterizes some of the major environmental problems and may contribute to the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. In this context, the use of prediction models allows, particularly in the case of volumes, the observation of the behavior of the attributes under study, identifying sectors where possible problems of water pollution are more present. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to obtain volume of water attributes for the alkalinity, conductivity and turbidity, which made possible the spatial analysis of the same. The study area, Lago das Cinco Fontes is in the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, in João Pessoa, Paraíba, and results from springs and effluents from the surrounding population. In order to obtain volumes and voxel representation, 18 points were established for sample collection, 9 on the surface and 9 in depth. The standardized Spline algorithm with voltage implemented in SIG GRASS and Vis5D software was used. Graphs with concentration variations were also drawn according to depth and collection points. The methodological procedures were validated with the aid of AIC, EQM and R2 statistics and any developed methodology was presented as a strategic tool for the water body’s monitoring.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276209
title: Can socioeconomic factors explain the local importance of culturally salient plants in a social-ecological system?

description: ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to determine whether socioeconomic factors explain the importance of culturally salient plants to social-ecological systems. Extractive communities of the Araripe-Apodi Environmental Protection Area in Northeast Brazil were studied, and a random sample of the population was selected. Quantitative variables (education, age and income) were analyzed using Spearman correlations, while categorical variables (gender and occupation) were analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests. Relationships between socioeconomic factors and the importance of culturally salient plants were all weak. Nevertheless, age influenced the local importance of the largest number of species. Other factors not considered in this study (historical, cultural, ecological, and psychological) may be outstanding predictors of the importance of culturally salient plants and should be studied in future investigations.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276206
title: Impacts of Future Climate Predictions on Second Season Maize in an Agrosystem on a Biome Transition Region in Mato Grosso State

description: Abstract Climate change promotes variations in climatic elements necessary for crop growth and development, such as temperature and rainfall, potentially impacting yields of staple crops. The objective of this study was to assess future climate projections, derived from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and their impacts on second season maize in a region of Mato Grosso state. Field experiments in the 15/16 season comprising different sowing dates and hybrids maturities in rainfed conditions were used for crop model adjustment and posterior simulation of experiments. Crop simulations comprised historical (1980-2010) and future (2010-2100) time frames combined with local crop management practices. Results showed decreases of 50-89% in grain yields, with the most pessimistic scenarios at the latest sowing date at the end of the century. Decreases in the duration of crop cycle and in the efficiency of water use were observed, indicating the negative impacts of projected higher temperatures and drier conditions in crop development. Results highlight the unfeasibility of practicing late sowing dates in second season for maize in the future, indicating the necessity of adjusting management practices so that the double-cropping production system is possible.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276209.v1
title: Can socioeconomic factors explain the local importance of culturally salient plants in a social-ecological system?

description: ABSTRACT The aim of this work was to determine whether socioeconomic factors explain the importance of culturally salient plants to social-ecological systems. Extractive communities of the Araripe-Apodi Environmental Protection Area in Northeast Brazil were studied, and a random sample of the population was selected. Quantitative variables (education, age and income) were analyzed using Spearman correlations, while categorical variables (gender and occupation) were analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests. Relationships between socioeconomic factors and the importance of culturally salient plants were all weak. Nevertheless, age influenced the local importance of the largest number of species. Other factors not considered in this study (historical, cultural, ecological, and psychological) may be outstanding predictors of the importance of culturally salient plants and should be studied in future investigations.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276215.v1
title: Procedures for analysis and validation of attributes of water quality

description: ABSTRACT Inadequate treatment of liquid effluents, as well as inadequate treatment, characterizes some of the major environmental problems and may contribute to the deterioration of aquatic ecosystems. In this context, the use of prediction models allows, particularly in the case of volumes, the observation of the behavior of the attributes under study, identifying sectors where possible problems of water pollution are more present. Thus, the main objective of the present work was to obtain volume of water attributes for the alkalinity, conductivity and turbidity, which made possible the spatial analysis of the same. The study area, Lago das Cinco Fontes is in the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, in João Pessoa, Paraíba, and results from springs and effluents from the surrounding population. In order to obtain volumes and voxel representation, 18 points were established for sample collection, 9 on the surface and 9 in depth. The standardized Spline algorithm with voltage implemented in SIG GRASS and Vis5D software was used. Graphs with concentration variations were also drawn according to depth and collection points. The methodological procedures were validated with the aid of AIC, EQM and R2 statistics and any developed methodology was presented as a strategic tool for the water body’s monitoring.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.9276206.v1
title: Impacts of Future Climate Predictions on Second Season Maize in an Agrosystem on a Biome Transition Region in Mato Grosso State

description: Abstract Climate change promotes variations in climatic elements necessary for crop growth and development, such as temperature and rainfall, potentially impacting yields of staple crops. The objective of this study was to assess future climate projections, derived from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and their impacts on second season maize in a region of Mato Grosso state. Field experiments in the 15/16 season comprising different sowing dates and hybrids maturities in rainfed conditions were used for crop model adjustment and posterior simulation of experiments. Crop simulations comprised historical (1980-2010) and future (2010-2100) time frames combined with local crop management practices. Results showed decreases of 50-89% in grain yields, with the most pessimistic scenarios at the latest sowing date at the end of the century. Decreases in the duration of crop cycle and in the efficiency of water use were observed, indicating the negative impacts of projected higher temperatures and drier conditions in crop development. Results highlight the unfeasibility of practicing late sowing dates in second season for maize in the future, indicating the necessity of adjusting management practices so that the double-cropping production system is possible.