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PURPOSE: To study the seizure's outcome in patients with refractory epilepsy and normal MRI submitted to resections including the rolandic cortex. METHODS: Four adult patients were studied. All patients had motor or somatosensory simple partial seizures and normal MRI and were submitted to subdural grids' implantation with extensive coverage of the cortical convexity (1 in the non-dominant and 3 in the dominant hemisphere). RESULTS: ECoG was able to define focal areas of seizures' onset in every patient. All patients were submitted to resection of the face and tongue motor and sensitive cortex; two patients had resections including the perirolandic cortex and 2 had additional cortical removals. Three patients are seizures' free and one had a greater then 90% reduction in seizure frequency. CONCLUSION: Resections including the face and tongue rolandic cortex can be safely performed even within the dominant hemisphere.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the HIV vertical transmission rate (VTR) and associated risk factors by use of zidovudine and infant care education in Brazil. METHODS: Since 1995, a prospective cohort of HIV infected pregnant women has been followed at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. A multidisciplinary team was established to implement the best available strategy to prevent maternal-infant HIV transmission. Patients with AIDS or low CD4 and high viral load received anti-retroviral drugs in addition to zidovudine. Children were considered infected if they had 2 positive PCR-RNA tests between 1 and 4 months of age, or were HIV antibody positive after 18 months. Education regarding infant treatment and use of formula instead of breast feeding was provided. RESULTS: Between 1995 and August, 2000, HIV status was determined for 145 infants. Compliance with intra-partum treatment, infant treatment and use of formula was 88.2%. Intra-partum zidovudine treatment was completed in 134/145 (92.6%) of patients; 88.1% had rupture of membranes < 4 hours; 85.4% of mothers were asymptomatic. The mean CD4 count was 428.4 cells and mean viral load 39,050 copies. HIV vertical transmission rate was 4/145 (2.75%; CI: 0.1%-5.4%). The only risk factor significantly associated with transmission was a failure to use zidovudine intra-partum in 2 of the 4 mothers (50% versus 6.4% in non-transmitting mothers). A trend toward low CD4 and high viral load at entry, and rupture of membranes > 4 hours were associated with increased HIV transmission. CONCLUSION: HIV vertical transmission in Brazil was reduced to a level similar to other countries with the most effective prevention programs using a multidisciplinary team approach. A high level of compliance for use of anti-retroviral drugs, the provision of health education to mothers, and use of formula for all exposed infants.

The present study was conducted to detected IgG antibodies using Strongyloides venezuelensis alkaline extract for the diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sera from 90 subjects were analyzed (30 with strongyloidiasis, 30 with other parasites and 30 healthy individuals). Results were expressed in antibody titers, which were considered as positive when titer was > 80. Sensibility and specificity of the assay were 100% and 96.7%, respectively. It can be concluded that the heterologous alkaline extract could be employed in ELISA as a diagnostic aid in human strongyloidiasis, due to its advantages as easiness of obtaining, practicability in preparing, and high indexes of sensitivity and specificity.

Objective: Previous studies indicated that face masks reduce the probability of infection by SARS-CoV-2 but did not examine the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and mask usage. This study analyzed this relationship., Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated patients admitted to a public Emergency Care Unit in Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, between October 2020 and March 2021. Convenience samples were recruited during the study period. Adult patients with COVID-19 symptoms were invited to participate after being examined by a physician according to the Emergency Care Unit routine. This study included 441 adults with mild symptoms diagnosed with COVID-19 via RT-PCR, who were tested until the 14th day after symptom onset. Participants were interviewed about mask usage, oropharyngeal swabs were collected, and the SARS-CoV-2 viral load was measured using RT-PCR. The difference between the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the groups of individuals who regularly used and did not use masks was subjected to a hypothesis test., Results: Of the patients who had swabs collected 1-5 days after symptom onset, 64.9% of those not using masks regularly and 45.5% of those using masks regularly presented a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.0073). Considering only the patients who had swabs collected 4-8 days after symptom onset, 44.1% of those not using masks regularly and 30.8% of those using masks regularly presented a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load; this difference was statistically significant (p=0.0364)., Conclusion: When people who regularly wear a face mask contract COVID-19, they have a significantly lower probability of having a high viral load of SARS-CoV-2 compared to those who do not regularly wear masks.

Background: Resilience is a crucial factor in students' mental health, playing an important role in their successful adaptation to the academic environment. However, there is a lack of understanding about resilience and its associated factors in students from different undergraduate courses. This study aimed to describe the resilience profile of undergraduate students from various courses in Brazil and identify sociodemographic, economic, and academic factors associated with resilience., Methods: This study has data from a cross-sectional multicenter study involving undergraduate students from eight Federal Institutions of Higher Education in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The dependent variable was resilience, measured using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) 10-item version, with sociodemographic, economic, and academic factors considered independent variables. Data was collected virtually via a self-administered questionnaire between October 2021 and February 2022 (during the covid-19 pandemic). Independent samples t-tests and ANOVAs were conducted to compare resilience scores between independent variables, and Tukey's post-hoc test was performed when necessary. Multiple linear regression was performed to create three models., Results: 8,650 undergraduate students were included in this study. The average score on the resilience scale was 19.86 ± 8.15, with a normal distribution. The respondents ranged from 18 to 71 years old, averaging 23.9 ± 6.33. Being female, not having a religious belief, having low per capita family income, having had a decrease in the family income, not being heterosexual, or having the head of the family with a low education level were the main factors associated, individually, with low resilience scores in the sociodemographic and economic multiple linear regression model constructed. Being from linguistics, letters and arts courses, being enrolled in fewer subjects, or being from UFMG were the main factors associated, individually, with low resilience scores in the academic multiple linear regression model constructed., Conclusions: The study's findings revealed that sociodemographic, economic, and academic variables were significantly associated with resilience scores in undergraduates from Minas Gerais during the covid-19 pandemic. These findings can help universities develop target strategies to promote students' resilience and reduce the risk of poor mental health among this population., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Movement behaviours, such as sedentary behavior (SB) and physical inactivity, have become a public health issue due to their implications for physical and mental health. The literature indicates that the university environment influences the movement behaviors of university students, and the strategies adopted during the pandemic may have favored a decrease in the practice of physical activity and an increase in the time dedicated to SB in this population. We aimed to evaluate the association of SB and moderate to vigorous leisure-time physical activity (MVPA) with presence of symptoms of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: This is a multicenter survey conducted with undergraduate students from eight Brazilian universities between October 2021 and February 2022 using an online questionnaire. The outcome variable was symptoms of anxiety and depression, assessed by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. SB was assessed by total sitting time, being that individuals with ≥ 9 h/day were classified with high SB. The practice of MVPA was evaluated based on weekly frequency, duration, and type of exercise. Subsequently, the ratio between the time spent in MVPA (minutes/day) and the time spent in SB (hours/day) was calculated, being considered as cutoff point was the practice of 2.5 min of MVPA for each sedentary hour. To assess the association between the outcome and explanatory variables, multivariable logistic regression was performed., Results: A total of 8,650 students participated in the study, with an average age of 23.9 years (SD: ± 6.34). In the multivariate analysis, the odds of anxiety symptoms [OR: 1.37 (95% CI: 1.24-1.50)] and depression [OR: 1.61 (95% CI: 1.47-1.77)] were higher in individuals with ≥ 9 h of SB per day. In the analysis of the relationship between MVPA and SB, not engaging in 2.5 min of MVPA per hour of SB increases the odds of anxiety symptoms [OR: 1.44 (95% CI: 1.31-1.58)] and depression [OR: 1.74 (95% CI: 1.59-1.92)]., Conclusion: The results suggest that SB is a risk factor associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression and that not engaging in MVPA exacerbates the negative effects of SB., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The university years are a critical period for young adults, as they are more exposed to obesogenic behaviors and experience stressful situations that compromise their mental health. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and evaluate the association between the combined occurrence of obesogenic behaviors among university students., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on students from a public university in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from July to August 2020 using an online questionnaire. The outcome variables (anxiety and depression symptoms) were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). The co-occurrence of obesogenic behaviors was measured based on irregular consumption of fruits and vegetables, frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods, physical inactivity during leisure time, and sedentary behavior. A Venn diagram was used for the exploratory analysis. To verify the association between the outcome and explanatory variables, a directed acyclic graph model was constructed, and multivariate logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs)., Results: A total of 1,353 students aged 18-24 years participated in this study. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were present in 46.1% and 54.6% of the participants, respectively. The most prevalent combination of obesogenic behaviors was frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods, physical inactivity during leisure time, and sedentary behavior (17.2%). The greater the number of simultaneous obesogenic behaviors, the higher the chance to present symptoms of anxiety [OR: 2.81 (95%CI: 1.77-4.46)] and depression [OR: 3.46 (95%CI: 2.20-5.43)]., Conclusion: These findings reinforce the need to take actions to promote mental health in the university environment in conjunction with programs to promote a healthy lifestyle and improve the physical and mental well-being of students., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the main factors for morbidity and mortality from traffic accidents. In 2010 and 2013, the Program Life in Traffic was implemented in Brazil, including the international initiative "Road Safety in Ten Countries", which established actions to reduce one of the main risk factors for road traffic injuries, the driving under the influence of alcohol. In 2012, a new zero-tolerance drinking and driving law (new dry law) was implemented, establishing a zero-tolerance limit for the drivers' blood alcohol concentration, and increasing punitive measures. This study aimed at analyzing the impact of these measures on the prevalence of driving under the influence of alcohol abuse in Brazilian capitals., Methods: An interrupted time series study was conducted using the models of autoregressive integrated moving average or seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average. The main outcome was the prevalence of driving after alcohol abuse in the adult population (≥ 18 years). The model's predictors were the interventions "Program Life in Traffic" and "New Dry Law". The former was implemented in the first quarter of 2011, initially in five capitals: Belo Horizonte, Campo Grande, Palmas, Teresina, and Curitiba, being expanded to the other capitals in the first quarter of 2013. The latter was implemented in the country on the first quarter of 2013. Data source for the study was the records of the surveillance system for risk and protection factors of chronic diseases through telephone survey (Vigitel) from 2007 to 2016., Results: The time intervals considered in the study were the quarters. Thirty-eight units were considered in the analysis, corresponding to time series points. It was found that after the implementation of the Program Life in Traffic, in the first quarter of 2011, there was a reduction in the prevalence in Belo Horizonte and Curitiba. Because the introduction of the New Dry Law and the Program Life in Traffic took place in similar periods in the other cities, there was a significant reduction in the outcome prevalence in the cities of Aracaju, Belo Horizonte, Boa Vista, Fortaleza, João Pessoa, Maceió, Manaus, Palmas, Porto Alegre, Recife, Teresina, Rio Branco, and Vitória following the law application., Conclusion: The present study identified an immediate impact of the Program Life in Traffic in two capitals (Belo Horizonte and Curitiba) and a joint impact of the New Dry Law in 13 capitals. The results of this study have implications for strengthening interventions aimed at reducing the burden of morbidity and mortality from traffic accidents in Brazil., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Guimarães et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

This study proposes a strategy for large-scale testing among a large number of people for the early diagnosis of COVID-19 to elucidate the epidemiological situation. Pool testing involves the analysis of pooled samples. This study aimed to discuss a reverse transcription technique followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction using pool testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal swab samples. The study proposes an innovative diagnostic strategy that contributes to resource optimization, cost reduction, and improved agility of feedback from results. Pool testing is simultaneously performed on multiple samples to efficiently and cost-effectively detect COVID-19. Pool testing can optimize resource utilization and expand diagnostic access, and is a viable alternative for developing countries with limited access to testing. To optimize resources, the pool size was determined by estimating COVID-19 prevalence in the study population.

Plastics are alternatives to enable the distribution of industrialized products, especially food. Packaging is versatile and of great importance for the conservation of products. However, plastic packaging impacts the environment and calls for a clean technology and circular economy approach to mitigate the damage. A scientometric analysis of the relationship between plastic packaging production and the circular economy was reviewed based on the premise that research is intrinsically linked to clean technologies. VosViewer software was used to conduct the analysis, and the revision was conducted for discussion and relationship building. We concluded that there is a gap regarding the connection between the circular economy and clean technologies with plastic packaging. The development of technologies that adapt plastic packaging to the circular economy is rarely discussed. To make plastic packaging more environmentally attractive, technologies based on eco-design are necessary to achieve an alternative scenario associated with a more sustainable circular economy.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Higher Education Institutions had to suspend their on-site activities and adapt to the new scenario. Therefore, the objective of the research was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the academic community of a Brazilian public university. This is a cross-sectional study, at a Brazilian public university, that used the baseline data from a longitudinal study carried out with employees and students. Participants answered a self-administered and confidential questionnaire in online platform, composed of sociodemographic, economic, lifestyles and mental health issues. 1,353 students and 372 employees participated. The prevalence of anxiety disorder symptoms among students and employees was 46.12% and 17.47%, depression 54.62% and 22.85% and stress 47.45% and 22.58%, respectively. The co-occurrence of symptoms was 33.56% among university students and 10.75% among employees. Falling family income, having stopped smoking and negative self-rated health, during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be the reasons for the high prevalence of co-occurrence of anxiety, depression and stress disorders among the academic community.

Island canaries Serinus canaria (Linnaeus) are finches native to the North Atlantic Islands, however, they have a worldwide distribution in captivity due to their relevance as a pet bird. Coccidians are the most reported parasites of passerines worldwide, both in the wild and in captivity, being frequently associated with disease in passerines kept in rehabilitation centers and commercial breeders. This study aimed to identify coccidians from island canaries kept in captivity in Brazil. Three hundred and fifteen genomic DNA extracted from fecal samples of island canaries from different breeders from Southern and Southeastern Brazil were used to perform a nested PCR assay to amplify a partial fragment of the 28S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (28S) of Isospora spp. Microscopic screening and morphological identification of Isospora oocysts was performed in fecal samples corresponding to PCR positive DNA samples. Fecal samples have been formalin-stored for approximately four years. Positivity rate for both microscopy and PCR was 10.5% (33/315). Posteriorly, Isospora serini (Aragão, 1933) Box, 1975 and Isospora canaria Box, 1975 were morphologically identified from fresh fecal samples of island canaries maintained by a breeder in the State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, providing a genotypic characterization via sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 28S genes. The 28S and COI sequences referring to the morphological identification of I. canaria was, respectively, 100% and 99% similar to sequences deposited as Isospora serinuse Yang, Brice, Elliot & Ryan, 2015 from island canaries kept in a rehabilitation center in Australia. The COI sequence referring to the morphological identification of I. serini was 100% similar to a sequence of an extraintestinal Isospora, corroborating this identification/sequencing since I. serini is the first isosporan with an extra-intestinal cycle demonstrated. The comparison of morphological and molecular data from I. canaria and I. serini from this study with published data of Isospora spp. from canaries worldwide, allowed the specific identification from preliminary generic identifications, correction of misidentifications, as well as the establishment of junior synonyms. Finally, this study provides morphological and molecular data that ensure the correct identification of the two Isospora spp. from island canaries in future studies worldwide., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of work-related accidents, according to sociodemographic and occupational variables, in 2013 and 2019., Methods: Cross-sectional study using data from the National Survey of Health (PNS) 2013 and 2019. Typical work accidents (WA), commuting accidents (CA), and Total Work Accidents (TWA) were evaluated. Prevalence values and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of TWA in 2013 and 2019 were estimated according to the explanatory variables and for Federative Units and capitals. In 2019, the prevalence and 95%CI according to explanatory variables were estimated using prevalence ratios (PR), both crude and adjusted for sex and age group., Results: TWA prevalence decreased from 4.96% (95%CI 4.55-5.38) in 2013 to 4.13% (95%CI 3.80-4.46) in 2019. In 2013, the state of Pará prevailed in TWA, and the state of Mato Grosso in 2019. The prevalence of WA and CA in 2019 were: 2.64% (95%CI 2.37-2.91) and 1.60% (95%CI 1.40-1.80). In 2019, the prevalence for TWA were higher for men (PR: 1.92; 95%CI 1.62-2.27); in the 18-29 age group (PR: 2.71; 95%CI 1.99-3.68); people with elementary school and some high school (PR: 2.09; 95%CI 1.57-2.78); and Black individuals (PR: 1.43; 95%CI 1.12-1.84). People without formal employment contract had a lower prevalence of TWA (PR: 0.77; 95%CI 0.66-0.90). WA was higher in rural areas (PR: 1.32; 95%CI 1.09-1.60)., Conclusion: There was a reduction in TWA between 2013 and 2019. Men, young people, Black people, and individuals with lower level of education, residents in rural areas had higher prevalence of WA in 2019, demonstrating a relationship between health-disease-accident processes.

This study aimed to estimate prevalence of loneliness among older Brazilian adults over the first seven months of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the predictors of loneliness trajectories. Pre-pandemic data derived from face-to-face interviews of participants of the 2019-2020 Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), which is a nationally representative study of community-dwelling individuals aged 50 years and over. Pandemic data were based on three rounds of telephone interviews among those participants, conducted from May to October 2020. Loneliness was measured by a single-item question, considering those who had at least two repeated measures. Explanatory variables included depression, living alone, leaving home in the last week, and virtual connectedness in the last month. Mixed-effects logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios with their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and to investigate loneliness trajectories and their predictors. In total, 5,108 participants were included. The overall prevalence of loneliness in the pre-pandemic period was 33.1% (95%CI: 29.4-36.8), higher than the pandemic period (round 1: 23.6%, 95%CI: 20.6-26.9; round 2: 20.5%, 95%CI: 17.8-23.5; round 3: 20.6%, 95%CI: 17.1-24.6). A significant interaction (p ≤ 0.05) was evidenced only between depression and time; participants with depression showed a greater reduction in loneliness levels. Although loneliness levels in Brazil have decreased during the pandemic, this pattern is not present for all older adults. Individuals with depression had a more significant reduction, probably due to feeling closer to their social network members during the stay-at-home recommendations.

This paper analyzes the current evidence on discrimination perceived by elderly adults (> 50 years) in the use of health services and identifies factors associated with this discriminatory experience. It involved an integrative literature review, carried out on the Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde, CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science search websites, in June/2021. The key words used were social discrimination or ageism; middle-aged, or aged 80 and over or elderly; health services or health services for the elderly, including synonyms, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The search strategy identified 1,165 articles; 19 met the eligibility and inclusion criteria and were included in this integrative review. They comprise quantitative and qualitative studies published between 2002 and 2021; about 60% carried out in the United States and Australia. The prevalence of discrimination in the use of health services ranged from 2% to 42%. The report of discriminatory practices was associated with ethnic-racial characteristics, sex, age, sexual orientation, physical appearance, and social class. By giving visibility to the theme, this work aims to stimulate the definition of concrete ways to tackle discrimination, in an attempt to interrupt the perpetration of inequities in the health care area.

Background: The university context plays an important role in the health-disease process since students are potentially vulnerable to obesogenic behaviors that can influence long-term health., Objective: To estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with the co-occurrence of obesogenic behaviors among university students., Design and Setting: This was a cross-sectional study at a Brazilian public university., Methods: This study was conducted with all university students in the first and second semesters of 2019 at Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Data were collected between April and September 2019, using a self-administered questionnaire. The outcome was the co-occurrence of obesogenic behaviors, measured as the sum of three risk behaviors: inadequate eating practices, leisure-time physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior. A Venn diagram was used to evaluate the simultaneous occurrence of risk behaviors. Pearson's chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression were used for statistical analyses., Results: A total of 351 students participated in the study. Inadequate eating practices constituted the most prevalent isolated risk behavior (80.6%), which was also the most prevalent when combined with sedentary behavior (23.6%). University students aged 20 years or younger, with non-white skin color, poor self-rated health, and symptoms of depression had increased chances of simultaneous occurrence of obesogenic behaviors., Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of developing and implementing actions to reduce combined obesogenic behaviors in the university environment. Institutions should focus on creating an environment that promotes health-protective behaviors such as physical activity and healthy eating.

Objective: To show the feasibility of the combined use of self-collected nasopharyngeal swab and pool testing to detect SARS-CoV-2 in epidemiological surveys., Methods: This experience included a sample of 154 students at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, who performed self-collected nasopharyngeal swab in individual cabins and without supervision. The molecular test was performed using the pool testing technique., Results: It took each person 5 minutes to collect the sample. An analysis was performed to detect endogenous RNA in 40 samples. The results showed that there were no failures resulting from self-collection. None of the pools detected the presence of viral RNA. The cost of molecular testing (RT-PCR), by pool testing, with samples obtained by self-collection was about ten times lower than the usual methods., Conclusion: The strategies that were investigated proved to be economically feasible and valid for the research on SARS-CoV-2 in epidemiological surveys.

Introduction: The pool testing technique optimizes the number of tests performed and reduces the delivery time of results, which is an interesting strategy for the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This integrative review investigated studies in which pool testing was carried out for epidemiological or screening purposes to analyze its clinical or cost effectiveness and assessed the applicability of this method in high-, middle-, and low-income countries., Methods: This integrative review used primary studies published in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), and Cochrane Library databases., Results: A total of 435 studies were identified: 35.3% were carried out in Asia, 29.4% in Europe, 29.4% in North America, and 5.9% in Oceania., Conclusions: This review suggests that pool testing in the general population may be a useful surveillance strategy to detect new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and to evaluate the period of immunogenicity and global immunity from vaccines.

The objective of the present study was to develop a combined system composed of anaerobic biofilter (AF) and floating treatment wetlands (FTW) coupled with microbial fuel cells (MFC) in the buoyant support for treating wastewater from a university campus and generate bioelectricity. The raw wastewater was pumped to a 1450 L tank, operated in batch flow and filled with plastic conduits. The second treatment stage was composed of a 1000 L FTW box with a 200 L plastic drum inside (acting as settler in the entrance) and vegetated with mixed ornamental plants species floating in a polyurethane support fed once a week with 700 L of wastewater. In the plant roots, graphite rods were placed to act as cathodes, while on the bottom of the box 40 graphite sticks inside a plastic hose with a stainless-steel cable acting as the anode chamber. Open circuit voltages were daily measured for 6 weeks, and later as closed circuit with the connection of 1000 Ω resistors. Plant harvestings were conducted, in which biomass production and plant uptake from each of the species were measured. On average, system was efficient in reducing BOD 5 (55.1%), COD (71.4%), turbidity (90.9%) and total coliforms (99.9%), but presented low efficiencies regarding total N (8.4%) and total P (11.4%). Concerning bioenergy generation, voltage peaks and maximum power density were observed on the feeding day, reaching 225 mV and 0.93 mW/m 2 , respectively, and in general decaying over the 7 days. In addition, plant species with larger root development presented higher voltage values than plants with the smaller root systems, possible because of oxygen release. Therefore, the combined system presented potential of treating wastewater and generating energy by integrating FTW and MFC, but further studies should investigate the FTW-MFC combination in order to improve its treatment performance and maximize energy generation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA is an essential test to monitor the occurrence of COVID-19. A methodology is proposed for the determination of maximum pool size and adjustments of cut-off values of cycle threshold (Ct in RT-qPCR pool testing, to compensate for the dilution caused by pooling. The trade-off between pool size and test sensitivity is stated explicitly. The procedure was designed to ensure that samples that would be detectable in individual testing remain detectable in pool testing. The proposed relaxation in cut-off is dependent on the pool size, allowing a relatively tight correction to avoid loss of detection of positive samples. The methodology was evaluated in a study of pool testing of adults attending a public emergency care unit, reference for COVID-19 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and presenting flu-like symptoms. Even samples on the edge of detectability in individual testing were detected correctly. The proposed procedure enhances the consistency of RT-qPCR pool testing by enforcing that the scales of detectability in pool processing and in individual sample processing are compatible. This may enhance the contribution of pool testing to large-scale testing for COVID-19.

Although renal replacement therapy has contributed to the survival of chronic kidney failure (CKF) patients, mortality remains a major concern. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with mortality in a prospective cohort of CKF patients. Sociodemographic, clinical, nutritional, lifestyle and quality of life data were collected from 712 patients. The instruments used were the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Global Subjective Assessment (GSA) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) questionnaires. A total of 444 patients died during the study. After five years of follow-up, factors such as not being married (hazard ratio - HR = 1.289, 95%CI: 1.001; 1.660), a low frequency of leisure activities (HR = 1.321; 95%CI: 1.010; 1.727) and not being transplanted (HR = 7.246; 95%CI: 3.359; 15.630) remained independently associated with the risk of mortality. At the end of the follow-up period, factors such as not being married (HR = 1.337, 95%CI: 1.019; 1.756), not being transplanted (HR = 7.341, 95%CI: 3.829; 14.075) and having a worse nutritional status (HR = 1.363, 95%CI: 1.002; 1.853) remained independently associated with an increased risk of mortality, whereas a high schooling level (10 to 12 years, HR = 0.578, 95%CI: 0.344; 0.972; and over 12 years, HR = 0.561, 95%CI: 0.329; 0.956) and a better SF-36 physical functioning score (HR = 0.992, 95%CI: 0.987; 0.998) were protective factors associated with survival. The survival of patients with CKF is associated with factors not restricted to the clinical spectrum. The following factors were associated with high mortality: not being married, low schooling level, a limited social routine, a longer time on dialysis, worse nutritional status, and worse physical functioning.

Objective: to investigate socio-demographic factors associated with non-use of condoms, and to describe the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in rural communities of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2014 to 2016., Methods: data were gathered from individual interviews and rapid tests were performed; associations were tested using Poisson regression, with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI)., Results: we detected 3.8 cases/10,000 inhabitants for hepatitis B and syphilis, and 1.3 cases/10,000 inhabitants for hepatitis C; no HIV cases were detected; in the multivariate analysis we found higher prevalence rates of condom non-use among the group of individuals who were married, had common law partners or were widowed (PR=1.20 - 95%CI 1.06;1.36)., Conclusion: individuals in a stable relationship formed the group with the highest prevalence rate of condom non-use; new syphilis and viral hepatitis cases were detected using rapid tests during the survey.

Background: Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent psychological disorders among end-stage renal disease patients and are associated with various conditions that result in poorer health outcomes, e.g. reduced quality of life and survival. We aimed to investigate the prevalences of depression and anxiety among patients undergoing renal replacement therapy., Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study in Belo Horizonte, Brazil., Methods: Patients' depression and anxiety levels were assessed using the Beck Inventory. The independent variables were the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Charlson Comorbidity Index and Global Subjective Assessment, along with sociodemographic and clinical characteristics., Results: 205 patients were included. Depression and anxiety symptoms were detected in 41.7% and 32.3% of dialysis patients and 13.3% and 20.3% of transplantation patients, respectively. Lower SF-36 mental summary scores were associated with depression among transplantation patients (odds ratio, OR: 0.923; 95% confidence interval, CI: 0.85-0.99; P = 0.03) and dialysis patients (OR: 0.882; 95% CI: 0.83-0.93; P ≤ 0.001). Physical component summary was associated with depression among dialysis patients (OR: 0.906; 95% CI: 0.85-0.96; P = 0.001). Loss of vascular access (OR: 3.672; 95% CI: 1.05-12.78; P = 0.04), comorbidities (OR: 1.578; 95% CI: 1.09-2.27; P = 0.01) and poorer SF-36 mental (OR: 0.928; 95% CI: 0.88-0.97; P = 0.002) and physical (OR: 0.943; 95% CI: 0.89-0.99; P = 0.03) summary scores were associated with anxiety among -dialysis patients., Conclusions: Depression and anxiety symptoms occurred more frequently among patients undergoing dialysis. Quality of life, comorbidities and loss of vascular access were associated factors.

Purpose: Despite advance in renal replacement therapy (RRT), patients with chronic end-stage renal disease (ESRD) face various limitations, and renal transplantation (Tx) is the treatment that impacts most on quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to assess changes in QoL in a cohort of ESRD dialysis patients., Methods: Sociodemographic, clinical, nutritional, lifestyle, and QoL data were collected from 712 patients at baseline (time 1) and after 10 years of follow-up (time 2) for patients surviving. The QoL was assessed through the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the multiple linear regression model was used to analyze the factors associated with change in QoL., Results: A total of 205 survivors were assessed and distributed into three groups according to current RRT (Dialysis-Dialysis, Dialysis-Tx, and Dialysis-Tx-Dialysis). At time 1, only age was significantly different among groups; at time 2, transplant patients sustained greater social participation, job retention, and improvement in SF-36 scores. The factors associated with change in QoL were more time on dialysis interfering negatively on physical functioning (p = 0.002), role-physical limitations (p  = 0.002), general health (p  = 0.007), social functioning (p = 0.02), role-emotional (p = 0.003), and physical components ( p = 0.002); non-participation in social groups at times 1 and 2 reducing vitality (p = 0.02) scores; and having work at time 2, increasing vitality (p = 0.02) and mental health (p  = 0.02) scores., Conclusions: QoL was shown to be dynamic throughout the years of RRT, transplantation being the treatment with more benefits to the ESRD. More time on dialysis and limited social and occupational routine were associated with a reduction in QoL.

Background: Despite being an important cardiovascular risk factor, hypertension has low control levels worldwide. Computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) might be effective in reducing blood pressure with a potential impact in reducing cardiovascular risk., Objective: The goal of the research was to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and utility of a CDSS, TeleHAS (tele-hipertensão arterial sistêmica, or arterial hypertension system), in the care of patients with hypertension in the context of a primary care setting in a middle-income country., Methods: The TeleHAS app consists of a platform integrating clinical and laboratory data on a particular patient, from which it performs cardiovascular risk calculation and provides evidence-based recommendations derived from Brazilian and international guidelines for the management of hypertension and cardiovascular risk. Ten family physicians from different primary care units in the city of Montes Claros, Brazil, were randomly selected to use the CDSS for the care of hypertensive patients for 6 months. After 3 and 6 months, the feasibility, usability, and utility of the CDSS in the routine care of the health team was evaluated through a standardized questionnaire and semistructured interviews., Results: Throughout the study, clinicians registered 535 patients with hypertension, at an average of 1.24 consultations per patient. Women accounted for 80% (8/10) of participant doctors, median age was 31.5 years (interquartile range 27 to 59 years). As for feasibility, 100% of medical users claimed it was possible to use the app in the primary care setting, and for 80% (8/10) of them it was easy to incorporate its use into the daily routine and home visits. Nevertheless, 70% (7/10) of physicians claimed that the time taken to fill out the CDSS causes significant delays in service. Clinicians evaluated TeleHAS as good (8/10, 80% of users), with easy completion and friendly interface (10/10, 100%) and the potential to improve patients' treatment (10/10, 100%). A total of 90% (9/10) of physicians had access to new knowledge about cardiovascular risk and hypertension through the app recommendations and found it useful to promote prevention and optimize treatment., Conclusions: In this study, a CDSS developed to assist the management of patients with hypertension was feasible in the context of a primary health care setting in a middle-income country, with good user satisfaction and the potential to improve adherence to evidence-based practices., (©Daniel Vitório Silveira, Milena Soriano Marcolino, Elaine Leandro Machado, Camila Gonçalves Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Moreira Alkmim, Elmiro Santos Resende, Bárbara Couto Carvalho, André Pires Antunes, Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 25.03.2019.)

Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a tropical plant of great commercial interest and a potential source of biodiesel. The development of genetically improved cultivars with high amounts of oil in the seeds and low ricin toxicity is crucial to increase the productivity of this crop. The use of TRAP (target region amplification polymorphism) markers to develop elite lineages and study genetic divergence is fundamental to advance the genetic improvement of this species. The goal of this study was to evaluate the genetic divergence among 40 elite lineages of R. communis, which belong to the NBIO-UFRB Genetic Improvement Program, using TRAP markers involved in the biosynthesis of oil and ricin. Total DNA was extracted and quantified from the leaf tissue of the castor bean plants, and 70 TRAP combinations (fixed and arbitrary primers) were used to genotype the 40 lineages. Of the 580 fragments amplified, 335 were polymorphic (58%). The genetic dissimilarity among the lineages was calculated by the Jaccard dissimilarity index using the UPGMA grouping method. A dendrogram was generated, and four groups formed, showing divergence among the elite lineages that favors selection. The TRAP molecular markers were efficient at characterizing the genetic variability among the lineages and, because TRAP markers are functional markers involved in the biosynthesis of oil and ricin, they are important when studying the association between a marker and a candidate gene.

The objective of this article was to develop TRAP (target region amplification polymorphism) primers for castor bean, with the goal of making functional markers available for genetic studies about the species. To do this, oligonucleotides were designed based on ESTs, obtained from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) databank, which code enzymes involved in metabolic routes of fatty acid synthesis, ricin synthesis, and resistance to castor bean pathogens. The forward primers were designed with the help of the Primer3 software and, for the reverse, six arbitrary primers were used. To standardize the amplification reactions, the following criteria were used to select the primers: sizes between 18 and 20 bp, guanine/cytosine (GC) in the range of 40 to 60%, and average annealing temperature between 55° and 62°C. The design quality of the primers was verified using the Net Primer application. Fifty-six primers were designed, which had an average GC percentage of 53.2%. A total of 336 combinations were obtained using the 56 fixed and 6 arbitrary primers. Based on polymerase chain reaction, 330 combinations (89%) presented good amplification patterns for the genomic DNA of castor bean. The size of the fragments amplified varied between 50 and 2072 bp. The TRAP primers designed and validated in this study are the first for castor bean and represent a significant increase in the molecular markers for this species.

Objective:: to provide an overview of occupational accidents among Brazil's adult population., Methods:: descriptive study using data from the 2013 National Health Survey., Results:: A total of 4.9 million workers mentioned having suffered some kind of work-related accident, which is equivalent to 3.4% (CI95% 4.6-5.6) of Brazil's adult population. Prevalence rates were higher among men, young adults aged between 18 and 39 years, and black people and in the North Region of the country. Prevalence was highest in the State of Para and lowest in the State of Rio de Janeiro State. Around one third of all accidents were commuting accidents, 50.4% (CI95% 45.3-55.5) of people who had suffered an occupational accident were prevented from carrying out some kind of routine activity due to the accident, 8.8% (CI95% 6.4-11.2) were hospitalized and 19% (CI95% 15.3-22.7) had sequelae resulting from occupational accidents., Conclusion:: the data provided by the National Health Survey comprises an unprecedented and invaluable source of information on these issues in Brazil. The results of the survey confirm that occupational accidents are underreported, since official figures do not cover individuals working in the informal sector.

The study aimed to estimate the incidence of HCV seroconversion in hemodialysis patients in the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). This was a prospective, non-concurrent study using patients' data identified by deterministic and probabilistic record linkage in the SUS information system. The study included 47,079 patients started on hemodialysis between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003, followed until seroconversion or conclusion of the study in 2004. Three percent of hemodialysis patients HCV-seroconverted (1.7 per 100 patient-years). Increased risk of HCV seroconversion was associated with age, glomerulonephritis, geographic region, HIV-positivity, and dialysis service. The observed HCV seroconversion rate was similar to that in developed countries, highlighting evidence of transmission among hemodialysis patients.

Objective: To estimate the time trend of cardiovascular mortality from 1980 to 2012., Methods: We performed an ecological time series study of cardiovascular mortality in Brazil. Data regarding deaths were obtained from the Mortality Information System and divided into two groups: deaths from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and deaths from cerebrovascular disorders (CBVD)., Results: A -34.73% variation in IHD standardized mortality rates was recorded for Brazil. Concerning specific regions, an increase was observed in the Northeast (117.98%%) and the Midwest (10.26%). IHD mortality rates fell in the Southeast (-53.08%), South (-44.56%) and North (-4.39%). For CBVD, the overall variation was -48.10%. Mortality rates were reduced in most regions: -61.99% in the Southeast, -55.49% in the South, -26.91% in the Midwest, and -20.78% in the North. Only the Northeast recorded an increase in CBVD mortality (13.77%)., Conclusions: We observed an overall declining trend for IHD and CBVD mortality in Brazil from 1980 to 2012, with strong regional variation. Mortality rates were highest in the Southeast and South for both groups of disorders, and lowest in the North and Northeast. Surveillance efforts should take into account the regional differences in epidemiological profile.

In this paper, we assessed aqueous solutions of glutaraldehyde (GA), a chemical used for the disinfection of hospital materials, using advanced oxidative processes, O3, and UV, and the combination of the latter two. Assays with different ozone concentrations at distinct pH levels were conducted to determine the best treatment process. GA concentrations before and after each treatment were measured by spectrophotometry. The best treatment was that which combined O3 and UV, yielding a degradation of 72.0-75.0% in relation to the initial concentration with pH between 4 and 9. Kinetics demonstrated that GA degradation is not dependent on pH, as there was a first-order reaction with a rate constant of k = 0.0180 min(-1) for initial pH 9 and of k = 0.0179 min(-1) for initial pH 7, that is, the values are virtually the same. Secondary wastewater samples were also analysed using the septic tank/filter system of a regional hospital in Vale do Rio Pardo, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. In this case, the characteristics of the wastewater were described and, after treatment, a GA degradation rate of 23.3% was noted, with reductions of 75% for chemical oxygen demand, 81% for biochemical oxygen demand, 68% for turbidity, 70% for surfactants and total disinfection in terms of thermotolerant coliforms.

Background and Objective: Prior to elective surgery it is essential to know in advance the patient's clinical condition. The aim of this study was to compare the preoperative evaluation (POE) through questionnaire responses with preanesthetic evaluation by the anesthesiologist., Method: Prior to their preoperative evaluation, patients answered a questionnaire with information regarding age, weight, height, scheduled surgery, past medical and surgical history, allergies, medications and doses used, social history (illicit drugs, alcohol, smoking), functional capacity and exercise tolerance. Preoperative evaluation was performed by an anesthesiologist who had no access to the questionnaire data or knowledge about the research. The questionnaire data were compared with the preoperative evaluation by two independent investigators, in order to answer the questions: 1) Was the questionnaire evaluation effective - could the patient undergo surgery without the need for face-to-face consultation? 2) Has been there any relevant information - ability to change the anesthetic approach - not assessed by the questionnaire, but assessed by the face-to-face consultation? 3) Has been there any information added by the health questionnaire that was missed by face-to-face consultation? For statistical analysis, the paired Student's t-test was used for parametric data and chi-square test for categorical data, with p < 0.05 considered significant., Results: Of the 269 eligible patients there was one refusal, and four agreed to participate but did not complete the questionnaire, in addition to 52 losses, totaling 212 participants. Questionnaire data added to the consultation in 109 cases (51.4%). The screening questionnaire alone was effective for 144 patients (67.93%), with no need for consultation. The anesthesiologist evaluation referred patients for surgery on their first visit in 178 opportunities (84%). In the identification of cases of non-referral to surgery, the questionnaire showed a negative predictive value of 94.4%, positive predictive value of 38.2%, sensitivity of 76.5%, and specificity of 76.4%. Statistically significant (P < 0.05) clinical factors associated with non-referral to surgery were: age over 65 years, BMI > 30, low functional capacity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, asthma, renal failure, hepatitis, and ischemic heart disease., Conclusion: The questionnaire was effective for screening patients who needed further evaluation and/or changes in treatment regimen prior to elective surgery. Moreover, the questionnaire added data not covered by clinical evaluation., (Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

The objective was to analyze factors associated with planned initiation of dialysis in diabetic patients in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study of 250 diabetic patients who began dialysis between January 2006 and December 2007. Initiating dialysis with an arteriovenous fistula or in peritoneal dialysis was classified as planned initiation. The study targeted socio-demographic, clinical, and health services use variables using a semi-structured interview. Multivariate analysis used Poisson regression. Seventy per cent of the patients began dialysis on an unplanned basis, and 67% of those consulted had been referred to a nephrologist more than four months previously. Attending a health center, not having the first nephrology appointment paid for by the Brazilian Unified National Health System, and having a choice of treatment for the kidney disease were associated with planned initiation of dialysis. Unplanned initiation of dialysis is common in the city of Belo Horizonte and occurs regardless of the time since referral to the nephrologist.

The objective of this study was to analyze factors associated with access to kidney transplants from living and cadaver donors in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The authors conducted a non-concurrent cohort study of patients on the waiting list for kidney transplants from 2000 to 2004 and followed until transplantation, death, exclusion, or continued presence on the line at the end of the study on December 31, 2005. The Cox model was used for competing risks. Of the 835 patients, 22.7% were transplanted. Lower risk of transplantation from living donors and cadavers was observed in patients with more time on dialysis and blood type O. Lower risk of transplantation from living donors was observed in residents in a high health risk area and in recipients with diabetes. The greatest disparity in access was observed in transplants from living donors, since there were no significant socio-demographic differences in transplants from cadaver donors. One can infer that the organ allocation system contributed to mitigating socio-demographic inequalities, and that clinical issues were more relevant in access to transplants from cadaver donors.

This is an observational, follow up study in order to characterize the patients profile in waiting list to kidney transplantation between 01/01/2000 and 12/31/2004 in Belo Horizonte (MG, Brazil) and their outcome in 12/31/2005. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients residents in Belo Horizonte city, 18 years of age or older was collected from State Transplantations Center of MG. Health professionals involved with transplantations answered to interviews to describe access barriers to it. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed with secondary data and qualitative analyses of the interviews were made. It was enrolled 835 patients. At the end of the study, 22.7% were transplanted, 15.6% died, 15.4% were drifted away and 46.2% remained on the waiting list. Transplanted patients were younger, professionally occupied, blood type A, have glomerulonephritis as basic ERSD cause, less diabetes prevalence and lower time between the beginning of the dialysis treatment until inclusion on the waiting list, compared with non-transplanted patients. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were associated with kidney transplantation access, described as a complex process which involves primary care determinants until kidney allocation.

The objective of this present study is to analyze individual and contextual factors associated with access to renal transplant in Brazil. An observational, prospective and non-concurrent study was carried out, based on data from the National Database on renal replacement therapies in Brazil. Patients undergoing dialysis between 01/Jan/2000 and 31/Dec/2000 were included and monitored up to the point of transplant, death or until the end of the study period. Variables that were analyzed included: individual variables (age, sex, region of residence, primary renal disease, hospitalizations); and context variables concerning both the dialysis unit (level of complexity, juridical nature, hemodialysis machines and location) and the city (geographic region, location and HDI). Proportional hazard models were adjusted with hierarchical entry to identify factors associated with the risk of transplant. The results point to differentials in access according to socio-demographic, clinical, geographic and social factors, indicating that the organ allocation system has not eliminated avoidable disparities for those who compete for an organ in the nationwide waiting list.

Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients under renal replacement therapies, identifying risk factors for death., Methods: This is a non-concurrent cohort study of data for 90,356 patients in the National Renal Replacement Therapies Database. A deterministic-probabilistic linkage was performed using the Authorization System for High Complexity/Cost Procedures and the Mortality Information System databases. All patients who started dialysis between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2004 were included and followed until death or the end of 2004. Age, sex, region of residence, primary renal disease and causes of death were analyzed. A proportional hazards model was used to identify factors associated with risk of death., Results: The prevalence of patients under renal replacement therapies increased an average of 5.5%, while incidence remained stable during the period. Hemodialysis was the predominant initial modality (89%). The patients were majority male with mean age 53 years, residents of the Southeast region and presented unknown causes as the main cause of chronic renal disease, followed by hypertension, diabetes and glomerulonephritis. Of these patients, 42% progressed to death and 7% underwent kidney transplantation. The patients on peritoneal dialysis were older and had higher prevalence of diabetes. The death rate varied from 7% among transplanted patients to 45% among non-transplanted patients. In the final Cox proportional hazards model, the risk of mortality was associated with increasing age, female sex, having diabetes, living in the North and Northeast region, peritoneal dialysis as a first modality and not having renal transplantation., Conclusions: There was an increased prevalence of patients on renal therapy in Brazil. Increased risk of death was associated with advanced age, diabetes, the female sex, residents of the North and Northeast region and lack of renal transplant.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of propagules source and the implication of tree size class on the spatial pattern of Xylopia brasiliensis Spreng. individuals growing under the canopy of an experimental plantation of eucalyptus. To this end, all individuals of Xylopia brasiliensis with diameter at soil height (dsh) > 1 cm were mapped in the understory of a 3.16 ha Eucalyptus spp. and Corymbia spp. plantation, located in the municipality of Lavras, SE Brazil. The largest nearby mature tree of X. brasiliensis was considered as the propagules source. Linear regressions were used to assess the influence of the distance of propagules source on the population parameters (density, basal area and height). The spatial pattern of trees was assessed through the Ripley K function. The overall pattern showed that the propagules source distance had strong influence over spatial distribution of trees, mainly the small ones, indicating that the closer the distance from the propagules source, the higher the tree density and the lower the mean tree height. The population showed different spatial distribution patterns according to the spatial scale and diameter class considered. While small trees tended to be aggregated up to around 80 m, the largest individuals were randomly distributed in the area. A plausible explanation for observed patterns might be limited seed rain and intra-population competition.

Chylothorax as a complication of the surgical treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome is a quite rare event. We report a case of right-sided chylothorax and present a brief review on the treatment of postoperative chylothorax.

Secondary hospital wastewater treatment was investigated as an alternative to detoxification and disinfection after anaerobic digestion in a hospital located in southern Brazil. Tertiary and secondary effluents were assessed by general parameters. The use of advanced oxidation processes (UV/O3 and UV/TiO2/O3) showed potential capacity for disinfection and detoxification of wastewater effluents. The UV/TiO2/O3 method yielded the best results, decreasing toxicity of EC50 = 65 to nontoxic levels, also reducing MPN/100ml of 1.1 x 10(6) to values less than 2 and increasing wastewater biodegradability. The low energetic consumption of the proposed UV/TiO2/O3 method can be considered operationally advantageous.

An increased occurrence of long term bacterial infections is common in diabetic patients. Bacterial cell wall components are described as the main antigenic agents from these microorganisms and high blood glucose levels are suggested to be involved in altered immune response. Hyperglycemia is reported to alter macrophages response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and peroxisome proliferators activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) expression. Additionally, glucose is the main metabolic fuel for reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) production by pentose phosphate shunt. In this work, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrite production were evaluated in peritoneal macrophages from alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Cytosolic dehydrogenases and PPARgamma expression were also investigated. LPS was ineffective to stimulate ROS and nitrite production in peritoneal macrophages from diabetic rats, which presented increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase activity. In RAW 264.7 macrophages, acute high glucose treatment abolished LPS stimulated ROS production, with no effect on nitrite and dehydrogenase activities. Peritoneal macrophages from alloxan-treated rats presented reduced PPARgamma expression. Treating RAW 264.7 macrophages with a PPARgamma antagonist resulted in defective ROS production in response to LPS, however, stimulated nitrite production was unaltered. In conclusion, in the present study we have reported reduced nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production in LPS-treated peritoneal macrophages from alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The reduced production of reactive oxygen species seems to be dependent on elevated glucose levels and reduced PPARgamma expression.

Protein kinases and phosphatases are responsible for several cellular events mediated by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Among these events are cell growth and differentiation and cellular metabolism. Casein kinase I (CKI) and casein kinase II (CKII) are involved in the phosphorylation of several substrates. Endogenous protein phosphorylation and casein kinase activity were investigated in the megagametophyte of the native Brazilian conifer Araucaria angustifolia, during seed development. It was observed that a number of different polypeptides are phosphorylated in vitro in the three megagametophyte stages of development tested (from globular, cotyledonary and mature embryos, respectively) and the phosphate was incorporated mainly in serine residues. The use of okadaic acid and vanadate in the phosphorylation reactions increased phosphate incorporation in several polypeptides suggesting the presence of serine/threonine as well as tyrosine phosphatases in the megagametophyte. Also, the results obtained in experiments with CKII inhibitor, GTP as phosphate donor, RNA hybridizations, and in-gel kinase assays indicate the presence of CKII in the A. angustifolia megagametophyte.

Objective: To study the effect of propafenone on the contractile function of latissimus dorsi muscle isolated from rats in an organ chamber., Methods: We studied 20 latissimus dorsi muscles of Wistar rats and divided them into 2 groups: group I (n=10), or control group - we studied the feasibility of muscle contractility; group II (n=10), in which the contralateral muscles were grouped - we analyzed the effect of propafenone on muscle contractility. After building a muscle ring, 8 periods of sequential 2-minute baths were performed, with intervals of preprogrammed electrical stimulation using a pacemaker of 50 stimuli/min. In group II, propafenone, at the concentration of 9.8 microgram/mL, was added to the bath in period 2 and withdrawn in period 4., Results: In group I, no significant depression in muscle contraction occurred up to period 5 (p>0.05). In group II, a significant depression occurred in all periods, except between the last 2 periods (p<0.05). Comparing groups I and II only in period 1, which was a standard period for both groups, we found no significant difference (p>0.05)., Conclusion: Propafenone had a depressing effect on the contractile function of latissimus dorsi muscle isolated from rats and studied in an organ chamber.

A programmable atrial pacemaker was implanted in an elderly man, 75 years-old, with incapacitating orthostatic hypotension due to automatic dysfunction (Shy-Drager) unresponsive to traditional therapy. Initially, a temporary programmed atrial pacing was implanted paced at 96 beats/minute during the day, reducing the rate at night to 60 betas/minute. An increase in cardiac output was achieved. Favourable results encouraged us to implant a permanent programmed pacemaker. The manufacturer designed a simple, safe programmer operable by the patient which only alters the rate from night (60) to day (96). A marked improvement in symptoms has been observed during a follow-up of nine months without complications. It is recommended that this sort of treatment be considered in elderly patients with symptomatic orthostatic hypotension due to autonomic dysfunction with inadequate compensatory tachycardia who have not responded to traditional therapy.