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Objective . To estimate dose rates delivered by using radioactive 198 Au nanoparticles for prostate cancer nanobrachytherapy, identifying contribution by photons and electrons emmited from the source. Approach . Utilizing in silico models, two different anatomical representations were compared: a mathematical model and a unstructured mesh model based on the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 145 phantom. Dose rates by activity were calculated to the tumor and nearby healthy tissues, including healthy prostate tissue, urinary bladder wall and rectum, using Monte Carlo code MCNP6.2. Main results . Results indicate that both models provide dose rate estimates within the same order of magnitude, with the mathematical model overestimating doses to the prostate and bladder by approximately 20% compared to the unstructured mesh model. The discrepancies for the tumor and rectum were below 4%. Photons emmited from the source were defined as the primary contributors to dose to other organs, while 97.9% of the dose to the tumor was due to electrons emmited from the source. Significance . Our findings emphasize the importance of model selection in dosimetry, particularly the advantages of using realistic anatomical phantoms for accurate dose calculations. The study demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of 198 Au nanoparticles in achieving high dose concentrations in tumor regions while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. Beta emissions were found to be predominantly responsible for tumor dose delivery, reinforcing the potential of 198 Au nanoparticles in localized radiation therapy. We advocate for using realistic body phantoms in further research to enhance reliability in dosimetry for nanobrachytherapy, as the field still lacks dedicated protocols., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Background: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries, due to factors such as lifestyle changes and the rise of non-communicable diseases. Populations living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are subject to a higher burden of CKD. However, the burden of CKD on Brazilian Indigenous people, especially those undergoing an advanced urbanisation process, has not yet been described., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1715 Truká Indigenous adults from Cabrobó, Brazil. CKD was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines classification as a urinary albumin/creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g and/or an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with CKD. Odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to measure association., Findings: Out of the 1654 participants analysed (61 excluded due to missing data), the prevalence of CKD was 10% (95% CI, 8.6%-11.5%), with a higher prevalence in women compared to men (12.4% versus 6.9%, p < 0.001). The mean age was 40.5 years, with 55.6% being women. In univariate analysis, female sex (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3-2.7), age ≥60 years (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.2-6.6), cardiovascular disease (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.1-4.1), and dyslipidemia (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.4) were identified as associated factors with CKD. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified age ≥60 years, female sex, and dyslipidemia as independently associated factors with CKD., Interpretation: The prevalence of CKD among Truká Indigenous adults analysed is high and affects a higher proportion of women. Our study found no association between hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and CKD risk, despite their high prevalence. These findings assist in developing early CKD detection strategies in Brazilian Indigenous communities, supporting disease treatment and prevention., Funding: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)-Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Brazil, and the Maria Emília Foundation., Competing Interests: All the authors declared no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In this study, we examined the relationship between sea surface temperature (SST) and phytoplankton abundance in coastal regions of the Brazilian South Atlantic: São Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina, and the Protection Area of Southern right whales ( Eubalaena australis ) in Santa Catarina (APA), a conservation zone established along 130 km of coastline. Using SST and chlorophyll- a (Chl- a ) data from 2002 to 2023, we found significant differences in SST between the regions, with São Paulo having the highest SST, followed by Paraná and Santa Catarina. All locations showed a consistent increase in SST over the years, with North Santa Catarina, APA and São Paulo experiencing the lowest rate of increase. Correlation analyses between SST and Chl- a revealed a stronger inverse relationship in North Santa Catarina and APA, indicating an increased response of Chl- a to SST variations in this region. The presence of protected area appears to play an essential role in reducing the negative impacts of increasing SST. Specifically, while there is a wealth of research on the consequences of global warming on diverse coastal and oceanic areas, heterogeneity among different settings persists and the causes for this necessitating attention. Our findings have implications for both localized scientific approaches and broader climate policies, emphasizing the importance of considering coastal ecosystem resilience to climate change in future conservation and adaptation strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: This study is a systematic review with meta-analysis comparing radioactive seed localization (RSL) versus radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL) and wire-guided localization (WGL) for patients with impalpable breast cancer undergoing breast-conserving surgery and evaluating efficacy, safety, and logistical outcomes. The protocol is registered in PROSPERO with the number CRD42022299726., Methods: A search was conducted in the Embase, Lilacs, Pubmed, Scielo, Web of Science, and clinicaltrials.gov databases, in addition to a manual search in the reference list of relevant articles, for randomized clinical trials and cohort studies. Studies selected were submitted to their own data extraction forms and risk of bias analysis according to the ROB 2 and ROBINS 1 tools. A meta-analysis was performed, considering the random effect model, calculating the relative risk or the mean difference for dichotomous or continuous data, respectively. The quality of the evidence generated was analyzed by outcome according to the GRADE tool. Overall, 46 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review; of these, 4 studies compared RSL and ROLL with a population of 1550 women, and 43 compared RSL and WGL with a population of 19,820 women., Results: The results showed that RSL is a superior method to WGL in terms of surgical efficiency in the impalpable breast lesions' intraoperative localization, and it is at least equivalent to ROLL. Regarding security, RSL obtained results equivalent to the already established technique, the WGL. In addition to presenting promising results, RSL has been proven to be superior to WGL and ROLL technologies.

Introduction: COVID-19 is a major public health concern in this century. The causative agent SARS-CoV-2, is highly contagious and spreads continuously across territories. Spatial analysis is of enormous importance in the process of understanding the disease and its transmission mechanisms. We aimed to identify the risk areas for COVID-19 and analyze their association with social vulnerability in Maceió, Alagoas. The study was conducted in 2020., Methodology: This is an ecological study to evaluate the incidence, mortality and case fatality rate of COVID-19 and their relationship with 12 indicators of human development and social vulnerability. Multivariate and spatial statistics were applied. A 95% confidence interval and a 5% confidence level were considered., Results: The spatial scan statistic revealed the existence of six high-risk clusters for the incidence of COVID-19. The regression model showed that social indicators, such as literacy of people, residents of private households, households with more than four residents, and resident brown population, were associated with COVID-19 transmission in Maceió-AL. The disease affected localities whose populations are exposed to a context of intense socioeconomic vulnerability., Conclusions: Based on the results, it is necessary to adopt measures that take into account the social determinants of health in order to minimize the damage caused by the pandemic., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2022 Cicera Maria Alencar do Nascimento, Carlos Dornels Freire De Souza, Lucas Emanuel de Oliveira Silva, Wedja Oliveira Silva, Nicolas Amaro Barbosa, Rodrigo Feliciano do Carmo, Esdras de Lima Andrade, Sergio Henrique de Oliveira Teixeira, Thiago Jose Matos Rocha.)

Currently, the world is facing a severe pandemic caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. Although the WHO has recommended preventive measures to limit its spread, Brazil has neglected most of these recommendations, and consequently, our country has the second largest number of deaths from COVID-19 worldwide. In addition, recent studies have shown the relationship between socioeconomic inequalities and the risk of severe COVID-19 infection. Herein, we aimed to assess the spatiotemporal distribution of mortality and lethality rates of COVID-19 in a region of high social vulnerability in Brazil (Northeast region) during the first year of the pandemic. A segmented log-linear regression model was applied to assess temporal trends of mortality and case fatality rate (CFR) and according to the social vulnerability index (SVI). The Local Empirical Bayesian Estimator and Global Moran Index were used for spatial analysis. We conducted a retrospective space-time scan to map clusters at high risk of death from COVID-19. A total of 66,358 COVID-19-related deaths were reported during this period. The mortality rate was 116.2/100,000 inhabitants, and the CFR was 2.3%. Nevertheless, CFR was > 7.5% in 27 municipalities (1.5%). We observed an increasing trend of deaths in this region (AMCP = 18.2; P = 0.001). Also, increasing trends were observed in municipalities with high (N = 859) and very high SVI (N = 587). We identified two significant spatiotemporal clusters of deaths by COVID-19 in this Brazilian region (P = 0.001), and most high-risk municipalities were on the coastal strip of the region. Taken together, our analyses demonstrate that the pandemic has been responsible for several deaths in Northeast Brazil, with clusters at high risk of mortality mainly in municipalities on the coastline and those with high SVI.

Introduction: The high transmissibility and infectivity of the new coronavirus, the high proportion of asymptomatic transmitters and the rapid and continuous spatial displacement of people, by the different mechanisms of locomotion, are elements that can contribute to the dissemination of COVID-19. This study aims to describe the geographical dispersion of COVID-19 in the state of Bahia and the importance of major airports and highways in the dynamics of disease transmission., Methods: This is an ecological study involving all cases of COVID-19 registered in the state of Bahia between March 6, date of the first registered case and May 16, 2020. After collection, an exploratory spatial analysis was performed, considering the cases accumulated on the last day of each epidemiological week., Results: The first cases of COVID-19 were concentrated in areas served by three important airport complexes in the state, located in Salvador, Ilhéus and Porto Seguro. From week 16-20, there was a more intense expansion of COVID-19 to the interior of the state. A global spatial autocorrelation was observed (I Moran 0.2323; p = 0.01), with the influence of distance: positive correlation at distances less than 205.8 km (I Moran 0.040; p = 0.01) and greater than 800 km (I Moran 0.080; p = 0.01)., Conclusions: Based on the spatial dispersion pattern of COVID-19 in the state of Bahia, airports and highways that cross the state were responsible for the interiorization of the disease., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no conflicts of interest., (© 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are varied in the general population. This study aimed to systematize the literature regarding clinical manifestations of patients with confirmed COVID-19. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. A total of 8070 scientific productions were found in the databases. Among the studies, 184 met the initial inclusion criteria, with a total of 114,046 patients. After complete reading, 32 studies that did not report clinical manifestations were excluded. The 152 publications finally included a total of 41,409 individuals from at least 23 countries and 26 different clinical manifestations were reported. In percentage terms, 6 symptoms had a general prevalence greater than or equal to 25%, namely, fever (58.66%), cough (54.52%), dyspnea (30.82%), malaise (29.75%), fatigue (28.16%) and sputum/secretion (25.33%). Neurological symptoms (20.82%), dermatological manifestations (20.45%), anorexia (20.26%), myalgia (16.9%), sneezing (14.71%), sore throat (14.41%), rhinitis (14.29%), goosebumps (13.49%), headache (12.17%), chest pain (11.49%) and diarrhea (9.59%) were other common symptoms. Only one study reported dermatological manifestations. The least frequent sign/symptom was hemoptysis (1.65%). In studies with more than 100 patients, the 3 main symptoms were fever (57.93%), cough (54.21%), and dyspnea (30.64%). Dermatological manifestations do not appear among the main symptoms. The identification of all clinical manifestations of COVID-19 is essential for an early diagnosis and the adoption of preventive measures.

Aim: Older adults are the main risk group for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to describe the clinical manifestations and factors associated with mortality from COVID-19 among older adults in Brazil., Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with data from 9807 cases of COVID-19 among older adults in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. We determined the case fatality rate between age groups and clinical factors associated with mortality., Results: A total of 52.5% (n = 5145) were women, and with an average age of 70.21 ± 8.37 years. The fatality rate was 11.9%, with a higher rate in men (14.4%) compared with women (9.8%). The fatality rate increased with age. The most common manifestations were fever (n = 4926; 50.2%), cough (n = 5737; 58.5%), headache (n = 1980; 20.2%) and fatigue (n = 2022; 20.6%). The most prevalent comorbidities were diabetes (n = 1528; 5.6%), cardiovascular disease (n = 1528; 15.6%) and systemic arterial hypertension (n = 597; 6.1%). The factors associated with mortality were male sex (OR 1.54), age ≥75 years (OR 2.40), dyspnea (OR 2.92), diabetes (OR 2.33), hypertension (OR 1.53) and chronic kidney disease (OR 2.02)., Conclusions: The profile and the risk factors evidenced show the need to adopt mechanisms to protect the elderly population., (© 2020 Japan Geriatrics Society.)

Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are important agents of urinary tract infections that can often evolve to severe infections. The rise of antibiotic-resistant strains has driven the search for novel therapies to replace the use or act as adjuvants of antibiotics. In this context, plant-derived compounds have been widely investigated. Cuminaldehyde is suggested as the major antimicrobial compound of the cumin seed essential oil. However, this effect is not fully understood. Herein, we investigated the in silico and in vitro activities of cuminaldehyde, as well as its ability to potentiate ciprofloxacin effects against S. aureus and E. coli. In silico analyses were performed by using different computational tools. The PASS online and SwissADME programmes were used for the prediction of biological activities and oral bioavailability of cuminaldehyde. For analysis of the possible toxic effects and the theoretical pharmacokinetic parameters of the compound, the Osiris, SwissADME and PROTOX programmes were used. Estimations of cuminaldehyde gastrointestinal absorption, blood brain barrier permeability and skin permeation by using SwissADME; and drug likeness and score by using Osiris, were also evaluated The in vitro antimicrobial effects of cuminaldehyde were determined by using microdilution, biofilm formation and time-kill assays. In silico analysis indicated that cuminaldehyde may act as an antimicrobial and as a membrane permeability enhancer. It was suggested to be highly absorbable by the gastrointestinal tract and likely to cross the blood brain barrier. Also, irritative and harmful effects were predicted for cuminaldehyde if swallowed at its LD50. Good oral bioavailability and drug score were also found for this compound. Cuminaldehyde presented antimicrobial and anti-biofilm effects against S. aureus and E. coli.. When co-incubated with ciprofloxacin, it enhanced the antibiotic antimicrobial and anti-biofilm actions. We suggest that cuminaldehyde may be useful as an adjuvant therapy to ciprofloxacin in S. aureus and E. coli-induced infections., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of season and pregnancy stage on the temperature of various body areas of Holstein cows using digital infrared thermography, an effective and non-invasive technique. The temperature was recorded at several areas of the body surface to determine the most reliable body area for measurement of rectal temperature in pregnant and non-pregnant animals. Holstein cows (n = 24) were divided into groups according to their physiological stage. The experimental period was 365 days, containing a dry (April-September) and rainy (October-March) season, with parameters measured every 28 days. Thermographic data for different body areas, rectal thermometry, ultrasonography, and climatic data were collected between 7:00 and 9:00. Thermogram-recorded temperatures significantly differed (P < 0.05) between seasons and reproductive phases. Moreover, significant differences were noted between the temperatures of the flank, lateral udder, and perineal areas across seasons (P < 0.05). The udder, perineal, and rectal temperatures differed according to the reproductive phase (P < 0.05). Significant correlations (P < 0.01) were observed between reproductive phases and rectal, ocular globe, snout, flank, and perineum temperature. The body areas examined by thermographic imaging presented different temperatures, exhibiting physiological variation. Season and physiological stage influenced the temperature of body areas of milk cows., (Copyright © The Author(s). Published by CBRA.)

Although studies have provided significant evidence about the role of RAS in mediating cancer risk in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), conclusions about the central molecular mechanisms underlying this disease remain to be reached, because this type of information requires an integrative multi-omics approach. In the current study, meta-analysis was performed on type 2 diabetes and breast, bladder, liver, pancreas, colon and rectum cancer-associated transcriptome data, and reporter biomolecules were identified at RNA, protein, and metabolite levels using the integration of gene expression profiles with genome-scale biomolecular networks in diabetes samples. This approach revealed that RAS biomarkers could be associated with cancer initiation and progression, which include metabolites (particularly, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and ABC transporters) as novel biomarker candidates and potential therapeutic targets. We detected downregulation and upregulation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in blood, pancreatic islets, liver and skeletal muscle from normal and diabetic patients. DEGs were combined with 211 renin-angiotensin-system related genes. Upregulated genes were enriched using Pathway analysis of cancer in pancreatic islets, blood and skeletal muscle samples. It seems that the changes in mRNA are contributing to the phenotypic changes in carcinogenesis, or that they are as a result of the phenotypic changes associated with the malignant transformation. Our analyses showed that Ctsg and Ednrb are downregulated in cancer samples. However, by immunohistochemistry experiments we observed that EDNRB protein showed increased expression in tumor samples. It is true that alterations in mRNA expression do not always reflect alterations in protein expression, since post-translational changes can occur in proteins. In this study, we report valuable data for further experimental and clinical analysis, because the proposed biomolecules have significant potential as systems biomarkers for screening or for therapeutic purposes in type 2 diabetes and cancer-associated pathways., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ethnopharmmacological Relevance: Aleurites moluccana is used in folk medicine to treat pain, fever, asthma, hepatitis, gastric ulcer and inflammatory process in general, and the nut oil had been topically applied to treat arthritis and other joint pain, however the seeds are classified as toxic for oral use., Aim: Faced with the need for new alternative to treat the symptoms and modify rheumatoid arthritis (RA) the aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of A. moluccanus' leaves dried extract in rats and mice submitted to complete Freund adjuvant (CFA)-induced RA., Material and Methods: Wistar Rats and Swiss mice were submitted to CFA-induced RA in the right hindpaw. They received A. moluccanus extract (orally; p.o.), dexamethasone (subcutaneously), 2″-O-rhamnosylswertisin (p.o.) or vehicle (p.o.), from the 14th day after the CFA injection for up to 8 days. The mechanical hypersensitivity was evaluated using the von Frey filaments and the paw-oedema was measured using a plethysmometer. The rats' injected hindpaw was used to perform the histological analysis., Results: A. moluccanus was able to significantly reduce the mechanical hypersensitivity in both ipsi- and contralateral hindpaws of mice injected with CFA, in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, the paw-oedema was progressively reduced by A. moluccanus. Similar results were obtained for the positive-control drug dexamethasone and the isolated compound 2″-O-rhamnosylswertisin. Besides the effects mentioned above, the extract was also effective to repair the joint damage in CFA-induced RA rats, including reduction of fibrosis, cartilage degradation and bone erosion scores., Conclusion: These results together with the literature data reinforce the anti-hypersensitivity and anti-inflammatory activity of A. moluccanus extract. Part of the observed effects is due to the presence of the compound 2″-O-rhamnosylswertisin. The fact that the extract acted as a disease modifier point this herbal product as a promisor and safe tool to treat RA and other associated chronic diseases., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: We performed a systematic review of randomized controlled studies evaluating any drug, technique or device aimed at improving the success rate or safety of tracheal intubation in the critically ill., Methods: We searched PubMed, BioMed Central, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials and references of retrieved articles. Finally, pertinent reviews were also scanned to detect further studies until May 2017. The following inclusion criteria were considered: tracheal intubation in adult critically ill patients; randomized controlled trial; study performed in Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Department or ordinary ward; and work published in the last 20 years. Exclusion criteria were pre-hospital or operating theatre settings and simulation-based studies. Two investigators selected studies for the final analysis. Extracted data included first author, publication year, characteristics of patients and clinical settings, intervention details, comparators and relevant outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool., Results: We identified 22 trials on use of a pre-procedure check-list (1 study), pre-oxygenation or apneic oxygenation (6 studies), sedatives (3 studies), neuromuscular blocking agents (1 study), patient positioning (1 study), video laryngoscopy (9 studies), and post-intubation lung recruitment (1 study). Pre-oxygenation with non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and/or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) showed a possible beneficial role. Post-intubation recruitment improved oxygenation , while ramped position increased the number of intubation attempts and thiopental had negative hemodynamic effects. No effect was found for use of a checklist, apneic oxygenation (on oxygenation and hemodynamics), videolaryngoscopy (on number and length of intubation attempts), sedatives and neuromuscular blockers (on hemodynamics). Finally, videolaryngoscopy was associated with severe adverse effects in multiple trials., Conclusions: The limited available evidence supports a beneficial role of pre-oxygenation with NIV and HFNC before intubation of critically ill patients. Recruitment maneuvers may increase post-intubation oxygenation. Ramped position increased the number of intubation attempts; thiopental had negative hemodynamic effects and videolaryngoscopy might favor adverse events.

A simple and highly efficient (shorter reaction time and almost no rework) method for production of iodine based radioactive silver seed cores for brachytherapy is described. The method allows almost quantitative deposition of iodine-131 on dozens of silver substrates at once, with even distribution of activity per core and insignificant amounts of liquid and solid radioactive wastes, allowing the fabrication of cheaper radioactive iodine seeds for brachytherapy., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: The Hip Function Recovery Score questionnaire is an instrument that was developed for evaluating the functional recovery of patients over 60 years of age who undergo surgical treatment due to hip fractures. The objective of this study was to make a thorough transcultural translation of this questionnaire, with adaptation to the individual and cultural traits of the Brazilian population., Method: This translation method consisted of initial translation, back translation, drafting of a consensual version and pretesting with comments invited. Subsequently, a final version was drawn up after making the necessary adjustments, without altering the semantics of the questions in the original text., Results: The consensual version was applied to thirty patients over the age of 60 years who had undergone surgical treatment due to hip fractures. However, some difficulties in understanding some words and expressions were observed, and these were then replaced with terms that were more easily understood. After the final version had been drawn up, this was applied to the same patients and full understanding was achieved among some of them, without altering the semantics of the questions of the original text., Conclusion: The transcultural translation of the Hip Function Recovery Score will have an immediate impact on functional evaluations on patients over 60 years of age who underwent surgery due to hip fracture. It will subsequently be possible for other Brazilian scientific studies to use this questionnaire, which has been standardized and adapted to Brazilian culture, in order to make comparisons between results, thereby enriching Brazilian scientific production.

Background: Leprosy is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, able to infect large numbers of people. This work is relevant to Juazeiro-BA, a hyper-endemic area for leprosy, since unravel the behavior of the disease in the area, may suggest the decision making for sectors of surveillance, establishing strategies, organizing and evaluating programs and services., Objectives: To analyze the epidemiology of leprosy in Juazeiro-BA, from 2002 to 2012., Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted based in data of the Diseases Notification System, assigned by the service of Epidemiology from Juazeiro-BA, between 2002 and 2012., Results: 1,916 new cases of leprosy were detected between 2002 and 2012, of which 921 (48.07%) represented male sex, 995 (51.93%) female, and there was a reduction in the incidence rate of leprosy per 100,000 inhabitants. Most carriers were brown individuals, with low levels of education, living in the urban area, being more prevalent in the economically active age group. Through statistical analysis we found that there are more chances of developing sequelae among men, and multibacillary individuals older than 45 years., Conclusions: The work serves to direct efforts to control this disease, and highlights the importance of active search for new cases to achieve an early diagnosis, reducing the number of sequels and allowing breaking the chain of disease transmission.