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We sought to evaluate the impact of surgical aortic annulus enlargement (ARE) on the perioperative outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement. Databases were searched for articles published by October 2019 in order to carry out a systematic review followed by meta-analysis. Thirteen studies with 40,447 patients (aortic valve replacement [AVR] with aortic annulus enlargement [AAE]: 4686 patients; AVR without AAE: 35,761 patients) were included. The total rate of AAE was 11.6%, ranging from 4.1%-28.1%. The overall unadjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for operative mortality showed a statistically significant difference between the groups, with higher risk in the "AVR with AAE" group (OR 1.388; 95% CI 1.049-1.836, P < 0.001), but not for isolated AVR+AAE (OR 1.341; 95% CI 0.920-1.956, P = 0.127) and also not in matched populations (OR 1.003; 95% CI 0.773-1.300, P = 0.984). The "AVR with AAE" group showed an overall lower risk of significant patient-prosthesis mismatch (PPM) (OR 0.567; 95% CI 0.376-0.854, P = 0.007) and a higher overall difference in means of indexed effective orifice area (iEOA) (random effect model: 0.058 cm2/m2; 95% CI 0.024-0.092, P < 0.001). The overall ORs for myocardial infarction, stroke, complete heart block/permanent pacemaker implantation and reoperation for bleeding showed no statistically significant difference between the groups. AAE is a useful adjunct to AVR, but the benefit of reduced PPM must be balanced against a possibly higher risk of perioperative mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An unusual 5,7-dihydroxychromone-3α- d - C -glucoside (macrolobin) was isolated from Macrolobium latifolium. • Macrolobin exhibited a significant inhibition of AChE and the extracts showed antimicrobial activities. • Steroids, triterpenes, apigenin and fatty acids were also identified in M. latifolium. This work describes the chemical and biological investigations of leaves and stems of Macrolobium latifolium (Vogel). The DCM, EtOAc soluble fractions obtained by liquid-liquid partition the crude methanolic extract of this species were submitted to usual chromatographic techniques which permitted to isolate an unusual 5,7-dihydroxychromone-3α- d - C -glucoside, named macrolobin, along with the known compounds identified as β-taraxerol, friedelin, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, campesterol, and apigenin. The structures of all compounds were elucidated by 1H, 13C, HSQC and HMBC NMR spectra, IR spectra data analysis, and MS. Furthermore, the chemical profile from fatty acids and/or triglycerides fraction was also determined after transesterification. The reaction products were subjected to GC-FID and GC–MS permitted to detected methyl palmitate as the main fatty acid derivate present in the oil and, lauric (7.52 %), octadecanoic (17.15 %), docosanoic (5.36 %), tricosanoic (11.83 %) and tetracosanoic as minor methyl esters. Concerning the biological activities, the organic soluble fractions and macrolobin displayed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella enterica , Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli (MIC values 125−1000 μg.mL−1) and, macrolobin exhibited significant acetylcholinesterase inhibition (IC 50 0.8 μM). These findings indicate M. latifolium can contribute with the development of new bioactive compounds, especially the AChE inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aircraft refuelling is a major cause of flight delays because it is a slow process. Further, if it does not begin as soon as the aircraft is available for ground handlers, there is an increasing risk of it being terminated after the final passenger has boarded. Usually, the process only begins after information regarding the required quantity of fuel is passed through the flight dispatcher, and this information typically requires a certain time to reach the ground handlers. Therefore, it is intended to test a new scenario: to begin refuelling with a minimum level and, if necessary, fill up the remainder with the final fuel figures when received. The aim of this paper is to analyse the application of Six Sigma in this process through Student's t -test and statistical process control. The collected data in this case study include the amount of fuel supplied and flight delays (which are mainly caused by refuelling). The results demonstrate that the new process is favourable, and that the average length of flight delays is reduced from 14 to 6 min, which is an improvement of 57%. It is concluded that the application of Six Sigma in the aircraft refuelling process saves time and improves on-time performance levels, which is relevant to the scientific literature, thereby aiding in mitigating the risk of fines and penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic activity beneath the Açu reservoir, northeast Brazil, is considered a classic, clear example of reservoir-induced seismicity (RIS) and has been investigated during the last two decades. After a quiescent period from April 1997 to June 2012, recent seismic activity was recorded by a seismic network deployed in the area during the seismic sequence, which lasted from July 2012 to April 2013. We located 50 seismic events from this recent sequence with Mw ranging from 0.1 to 1.4 and obtained well-constrained relative locations and a composite focal mechanism for 35 of these events. The earthquakes occurred mainly beneath the lake at a depth of 3.5 km in a subvertical east-northeast-striking fault composed of two clusters ∼250 m apart, defining a fault zone 150 m wide and ∼1.5 km long, and were associated with the reactivation of the basement on a new fault cross cutting the main northeast-southwest-striking mylonitic structure. We estimate hydraulic transport properties within seismogenic faults. Depth-averaged and within-fault-plane permeabilities are 10-15 and 10-16 m², respectively, near the lower bounds of values found in the literature. We observe the seismicity at 3-4 km depth in the 2012-2013 sequence period; this was likely related to the long-term decrease in the water level. As the water level fell steadily because of drought in the region since 2011, the pore pressure due to diffusion (and the undrained response at a fraction of the water load) decreased, and the average load pressure decreased even more, leading to failure. Thus, the east-northeast-striking fault remained active until the pore pressure became less than the average load. This interplay between water level variation and pore pressure could explain the episodic behavior of the seismicity in a different active fault region in the 2012-2013 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Marijuana, a drug derived from the Cannabis sativa L. plant, is the world's most consumed illicit drug. In this paper, a total of 156 marijuana samples seized in the state of Espírito Santo (ES), Brazil were studied and analysed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy to identify the major cannabinoids present. A crude extract of all samples was purified using high performance liquid chromatography so that these compounds could serve as reference substances. Nine fractions were obtained and analysed by 1H NMR and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), with five presented cannabinoids. ∆9-THC (Δ9- trans -tetrahydrocannabinol), ∆9-THCA (∆9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid), ∆8-THC (∆ 8- tetrahydrocannabinol), 11-hydroxycannabinol, CBV (cannabivarin), and CBN (cannabinol) were found, and their chemical structures were confirmed by GC–MS. The latter compound was obtained with high purity (≈100%), while the others were obtained as less complex mixtures with purity higher than 75% (except for Δ8-THC). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used on the 1H NMR spectra of the 156 samples, and it was found that the samples were grouped according to the months, differentiating into two groups (from July 2014 to January 2015 and from February 2015 to July 2015), where non-grouping was observed from four macro-regions of the ES state (North, Central, Metropolitan, and South). The chemical profile of the seized samples was correlated to the 1H NMR spectrum of an isolated CBN sub-fraction, in which the group formed by samples seized in the year 2015 presented lower CBN content in the chemical composition. From the PCA score plot, two groups of samples were confirmed using the partial least squares discriminant analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures classification methods. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • A total of 156 marijuana samples were studied and analysed by 1H NMR. • A crude extract of all samples was submitted to HPLC with the purpose to purify cannabinoids. • ∆9-THC, ∆9-THCA, ∆8-THC, 11-hydroxycannabinol, CBV and CBN were found and detected. • 1H NMR spectra of the samples were submitted to PCA, differentiating into two groups. • The group formed by samples seized in the 2015 year presented a lower CBN content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Self-care, and hence self-medication, is becoming an increasingly popular practice worldwide. Community pharmacies are an important destination for those seeking non-prescription medicines, and pharmacists and their staff are in a prime position to facilitate appropriate and safe self-medication.Purpose: To determine what modifications (for example, a change in brand, change in drug, or non-supply) pharmacy staff make when presented with a request for a non-prescription medicine, and to determine what factors influence whether a modification is made.Methods: Sixty-one third year Bachelor of Pharmacy students from The University of Sydney were trained as mystery shoppers to make 9 visits once a week to 36 community pharmacies in the metropolitan region of Sydney, Australia from March-October 2015. Students presented to a different, pre-allocated pharmacy once a week with a direct product request for a non-prescription medicine relating to a common ailment (e.g. asthma, insomnia, allergic rhinitis) for 9 weeks. Student mystery shoppers audio-recorded each visit and collected the details of the interaction and product sold. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared analyses, and binary logistic regression were performed to find factors influencing modifications made by pharmacy staff to the simulated patient initial request.Results: Of 540 completed visits, 497 were eligible for analysis. Modification (change in brand, intra/interclass change, companion sale, or no product supplied) occurred in 49% (n = 245) of visits. Whether the product requested was deemed "not appropriate" given the scenario outline was the only significant predictor of whether a modification to the request occurred (42% modification, "appropriate" scenarios vs. 57% modification, "not appropriate" scenarios; χ2 = 8.90; p < 0.01).Conclusions: Modification from the original non-prescription medicine request occurred in approximately half the reported requests. A request for a product that was considered "not appropriate" was more likely to elicit a modification than a request for an "appropriate" non-prescription medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia is the property of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Escola de Veterinaria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cardiac surgery is highly demanding and the ideal teaching method to reach competency is widely debated. Some studies have shown that surgical trainees can safely perform full operations with equivocal outcomes compared with their consultant colleagues while under supervision. We aimed to compare outcomes after cardiac surgery with supervised trainee involvement versus consultant-led procedures. We systematically reviewed databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov , Google Scholar) and reference lists of relevant articles for studies that compared outcomes of cardiac surgery performed by trainees versus consultants. Primary end points included: operative mortality, coronary events, neurological/renal complications, reoperation, permanent pacemaker implantation, and sternal complications. Secondary outcomes included cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times and intensive care/in-hospital length of stay. Random effects meta-analysis was performed. Thirty-three observational studies that reported on a total of 81,616 patients (trainee: 20,154; consultant: 61,462) were included. There was a difference favoring trainees in terms of operative mortality in the main analysis and in an analysis restricted to propensity score-matched samples, whereas other outcomes were not consistently different in both analyses. Overall cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic cross-clamp times were longer in the trainee group but did not translate in longer intensive care unit or hospital stay. In the right conditions, good outcomes are possible in cardiac surgery with trainee involvement. Carefully designed training programs ensuring graduated hands-on operative exposure as primary operator with appropriate supervision is fundamental to maintain high-quality training in the development of excellent cardiac surgeons. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The administration of plasma to foals with failed transfer of passive immunity is of utmost importance. Transporting refrigerated or frozen plasma to farms can be costly and complicated. Lyophilized plasma can facilitate transport and storage by improving and spreading the technology. Lyophilization is the most commonly used method for preparing dehydrated proteins, which must have adequate stability for an extended storage period at room temperature. This work aimed to evaluate the IgG concentration of fresh equine plasma (EP) and post-lyophilization. Plasma was collected from 6 healthy male horses, age 4±2 years, 356±62kg. An aliquot of EP was lyophilized. The lyophilization process was carried out at the Research Support Center of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco. Before being lyophilized, samples were frozen at -80°C for 24 h and then processed, in an Alpha 1-4 LD Plus Christ apparatus, a drying chamber temperature of -27°C and vacuum of 0.52 mbar, for 24 hours. The lyophilized EP obtained was stored in well-sealed microtubes and frozen at -4°C for further analysis. The lyophilized EP was resuspended in deionized water to maintain the original volume. The concentration of IgG in fresh EP and lyophilized and resuspended EP was measured. Samples were evaluated using Simple Radial Immunodiffusion kits (IDRS) commercially available forequine serum and colostrum: IDRING® Horse IgG Test, by IDBiotech (Issoire/France). Horse IgG test plates contain an agar gel with a specific antiserum against horse IgG. Plate wells are filled with standards of 200, 100, 50, and 25 μg/mL of horse IgG and the EP and lyophylised EP samples. During diffusion on the agar gel, the antibodies specifically react with the antigen to form a precipitation ring. A linear calibration curve is established to determine the samples' IgG concentrations from the measured diameters to known concentrations in the standard calibration set. The homogeneity of the variance between treatments was verified by the Shapiro-Wilk test. The results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the effects of lyophilization on the IgG concentrations. Significance was declared at P<0.05. When significant differences were tested using the Tukey, significance was set at P<0.05. The IgG concentration in fresh plasma was 8.9±3.2 g/L; after lyophilization, the plasma showed an IgG concentration of 7.1±2.2 g/L. No significant differences were found in the plasma IgG concentrations (P>0.05). The results suggest that lyophilization can be an alternative for conserving EP, since it is a very efficient process to maintain IgG concentration. Further studies should be carried out regarding the administration of plasma in the foal and the transfer of immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)