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Aims: To gather data on agricultural practices in organic farms in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and evaluate their relationship with the microbiological characteristics of samples collected along the production chain. Methods and Results: Practices data were based on field observations and interviews with farmers in 10 selected organic lettuce producing farms. Counts of Enterobacteriaceae and surveys for Salmonella were performed in samples of lettuce (before and after washing), fertilizers, irrigation and washing water, all collected in the same farm. Water samples were also tested for total coliforms and generic Escherichia coli. Isolated Enterobacteriaceae were identified by MALDI‐TOF MS. Contamination of lettuce was influenced by some agricultural practices: chicken manure‐based fertilization resulted in higher Enterobacteriaceae counts in lettuce when compared to other types of manure, whereas pre‐washed lettuces presented lower microbial counts than non‐pre‐washed samples. Salmonella was detected in one lettuce sample by qPCR. Escherichia coli was detected in all irrigation water samples. All sample types contained Enterobacteriaceae species commonly reported as opportunistic human pathogens. Conclusions: The data highlight the need for improvement in the good agricultural practices in the studied farms. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study provides information on agricultural practices and microbiological characteristics of organic lettuce, contributing to the development of more accurate risk assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicidal ideation is an important mental health issue among homeless people. Despite the fact that spirituality and religiousness (S/R) have been associated with lower levels of suicide behavior, there is little evidence on this relationship among homeless individuals. Thus, this study aims to investigate the association between S/R and suicidal ideation among homeless people living in a large Brazilian city.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 456 homeless individuals living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Logistic and linear regression models were used to determine the role of religious and spiritual beliefs (Duke Religion Index, FACIT SP-12 and Brief-RCOPE) on suicidal ideation, after adjustements.Results: Most participants were male (75%) with a mean age of 44.53(SD 12.62) years. A total of 49.6% had significant depressive symptoms and the prevalence of suicidal ideation was 29.8%. In the adjusted logistic regression, higher levels of religiousness (organizational, nonorganizational and intrinsic), positive religious/spiritual coping, peace and meaning were associated with a lower suicidal ideation. The same results were found when using linear regression models.Limitations: Long questionnaires can be factors of inhibition and fatigue for the participants. Suicidal ideation was based on a single question.Conclusion: Our results revealed a high prevalence of suicidal ideation and depression in our sample. Religiousness and spirtuality were important factors in the life of homeless individuals, being negatively associated with suicidal ideation. These results could make healthcare professionals aware of the importance of addressing S/R issues in this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower limb amputations represent a high social, economic and health burden. Most of them are preventable and reflect areas for improvement in health care, making it essential to know their epidemiology. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective population-based cross-sectional analysis on all lower limb amputations performed in public hospitals in Sao Paulo between 2009 and 2020, the most populous Brazilian state, with 46 million inhabitants. Using a public database, we evaluated types, rates and trends of the amputations performed, main etiologies leading to the indication for amputation, hospital length of stay and in-hospital mortality rates, demographics of the amputees and procedure costs. Results: In total, 180,595 lower limb amputations and surgical revision of amputations were performed, with toe amputations (45%) and major amputations (33%) being the most frequent types of surgeries, with a recent significant increase in the rates for both these procedures. Peripheral artery disease was the most frequent etiology, followed by diabetes mellitus, with both showing an upward trend over the years. Most patients were male (69.3%), Caucasians (55.6%) and elderly. August was the month with the highest number of amputations in all years. Overall in-hospital mortality after lower limb amputations was 6.6%. Total reimbursed by the government was US$ 67,675,875.55. Conclusions: Peripheral artery disease is the most frequent underlying diagnosis for lower limb amputations, followed by diabetes mellitus, with both showing an upward trend over the years. We observed seasonality in procedure rates, with peaks in August in all years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Relationship between nitrogen compounds and chemical induction of bud break. • Budburst, flowering and fruit set were correlated with higher nitrogen and spermidine. • The main challenges to evaluate possible replacements to hydrogen cyanamide (HC). • HC and nitrogen fertilizer + calcium nitrate improved crop performance. The growth of peach orchards in subtropical regions depends on the minimal requirements for chilling accumulation, and crop loading requires sprays of chemical compounds to overcome dormancy, induce bud break, and allow adequate flowering and fruiting. The ability of hydrogen cyanamide, nitrogen fertilizer and calcium nitrate to break the dormancy of 'BRS Kampai' peach trees and their effects on nitrogen, tryptophan, and polyamine contents in buds were evaluated. Furthermore, budburst, flowering, fruit set percentage, flowering period, tree performance, and bioactive compound content in the fruits were assessed. The study was undertaken in São Paulo state, a subtropical region of southeast Brazil, and the field experiment was carried out in two crop seasons. Short flowering duration and higher percentages of budburst, flowering, and fruit setting were correlated with higher nitrogen content in vegetative buds and spermidine contents in flower buds. The better performance of hydrogen cynamide, compared with other treatments, was confirmed by the anticipation, patterning, and increase in budburst, flowering, and fruit setting, associated with high levels of spermidine in the flower buds. Hydrogen cyanamide also increases the concentration of antioxidant compounds in fruits. Hydrogen cyanamide and the combination of nitrogen fertilizer and calcium nitrate enhanced yield and production efficiency and are recommended for inducing budburst in subtropical regions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] have great economic prominence in the world, and soil management systems can directly interfere with their yield through changes in soil physical-hydric properties. Thus, the aim of this research was to verify the relationship between yield components, physiological traits, root development, and soil physical-hydric properties in soybean yields grown under conventional tillage and no-tillage systems. The experiment was carried out in Botucatu, SP, Brazil, with two treatments: soybeans grown under conventional tillage and no tillage. It is a long-term experiment, conducted since 1986. The main variables that influenced soybean yield were plant height, relative leaf water content, root dry matter, soil penetration resistance, and soil accumulated water infiltration. Physiological components of the plant and soil water showed a significant and negative correlation with soybean yield. On the other hand, the root development and soil physical components were positively correlated with soybean yield. However, the yield components were not significant. The no-tillage system resulted in 7.8% more soybean productivity compared to conventional tillage. Soybean yield depends on the physical properties and the water storage capacity of the soil, as well as on the physiological traits and the root development of the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy production needs to increase in order to meet population and industrial growth in the coming decades, and clean energy that promotes the reduction of polluting gases in the atmosphere is required. Sugarcane is a crop with great potential for bioenergy production due to its high potential for converting solar energy into biomass. In this context, the questions arise: What is the real efficiency of conversion solar energy into biomass by sugarcane? How can the production environment and genetic diversity influence this process? In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of the conversion of solar energy into biomass, as well the available energy per hectare, and the productivity of stalks as a function of the production environment in different cultivars. The experiments were carried out in two production environments in Brazil, Prado Ferreira, Paraná State (Production Environment A) and Presidente Bernardes, São Paulo State (Production Environment C) and with three sugarcane cultivars SP80-3280, RB855156 and RB867515 in two cultivation cycles. This study showed: a) the production environment × genotype interaction causes 75.80% variation in stalk productivity; b) biomass productivity is less affected by water deficit than stalk productivity; c) the energy conversion efficiency (ECE) ranged from 2.80 to 4.54% in plant cane and 2.10–3.87% in ratoon cane cycles. The variation of ECE in the production environments was due to four main factors: greater water availability, soil fertility, air temperature and solar radiation. • Stalk yield can vary by 75.8% depending on the production environment. • Biomass yield is less impacted than stalk yield depending on the production environment. • Higher air temperature can reduce sugarcane yield. • Higher solar radiation is not associated to higher yield and energy conversion. • Solar energy conversion can increase by 51.3% with the correct management cultivar x environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]