Identification of Disease-relevant, Sex-based Proteomic Differences in iPSC-derived Vascular Smooth Muscle.

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease varies with sex, and the impact of intrinsic sex-based differences on vasculature is not well understood. Animal models can provide important insight into some aspects of human biology, however not all discoveries in animal systems translate well to humans. To explore the impact of chromosomal sex on proteomic phenotypes, we used iPSC-derived vascular smooth muscle cells from healthy donors of both sexes to identify sex-based proteomic differences and their possible effects on cardiovascular pathophysiology. Our analysis confirmed that differentiated cells have a proteomic profile more similar to healthy primary aortic smooth muscle than iPSCs. We also identified sex-based differences in iPSC- derived vascular smooth muscle in pathways related to ATP binding, glycogen metabolic process, and cadherin binding as well as multiple proteins relevant to cardiovascular pathophysiology and disease. Additionally, we explored the role of autosomal and sex chromosomes in protein regulation, identifying that proteins on autosomal chromosomes also show sex-based regulation that may affect the protein expression of proteins from autosomal chromosomes. This work supports the biological relevance of iPSC-derived vascular smooth muscle cells as a model for disease, and further exploration of the pathways identified here can lead to the discovery of sex-specific pharmacological targets for cardiovascular disease. Significance: In this work, we have differentiated 4 male and 4 female iPSC lines into vascular smooth muscle cells, giving us the ability to identify statistically-significant sex-specific proteomic markers that are relevant to cardiovascular disease risk (such as PCK2, MTOR, IGFBP2, PTGR2, and SULTE1).

Continuous rotary kiln pyrolysis of cassava plant shoot system and wide speciation of oxygenated and nitrogen-containing compounds in bio-oil by HESI and APPI-Orbitrap MS.

This work proposes the pyrolysis of the cassava plant shoot system biomass and a comprehensive chemical characterization of the resulting bio-oil. The highest yields of liquid products were obtained at 600 °C, with 12.6 % bio-oil (organic fraction), which presented the lowest total acid number of 65.7 mg KOH g-1. The bio-oil produced at 500 °C exhibited the highest total phenolic content of approximately 41 % GAE, confirmed by GC/MS analysis (33.8 % of the total area). FT-Orbitrap MS analysis found hundreds of oxygenated constituents in the bio-oils, belonging to the O2-7 classes, as well as nitrogen compounds from the Ny and OxNy classes. Higher pyrolysis temperatures resulted in more oxygenated phenolics (O4-7) undergoing secondary degradation and deoxygenation reactions, generating O2-3 compounds. Additional classes affected were O3-5N2-3, while O1-2N1 presented more stable compounds. These findings show that cassava bio-oils are promising sources of renewable chemicals.

Multicenter comparison using two AI stroke CT perfusion software packages for determining thrombectomy eligibility.

BACKGROUND: Stroke AI platforms assess infarcted core and potentially salvageable tissue (penumbra) to identify patients suitable for mechanical thrombectomy. Few studies have compared outputs of these platforms, and none have been multicenter or considered NIHSS or scanner/protocol differences. Our objective was to compare volume estimates and thrombectomy eligibility from two widely used CT perfusion (CTP) packages, Viz.ai and RAPID.AI, in a large multicenter cohort. METHODS: We analyzed CTP data of acute stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) from four institutions. Core and penumbra volumes were estimated by each software and DEFUSE-3 thrombectomy eligibility assessed. Results between software packages were compared and categorized by NIHSS score, scanner manufacturer/model, and institution. RESULTS: Primary analysis of 362 cases found statistically significant differences in both software's volume estimations, with subgroup analysis showing these differences were driven by results from a single scanner model, the Canon Aquilion One. Viz.ai provided larger estimates with mean differences of 8cc and 18cc for core and penumbra, respectively (p<0.001). NIHSS subgroup analysis also showed systematically larger Viz.ai volumes (p<0.001). Despite volume differences, a significant difference in thrombectomy eligibility was not found. Additional subgroup analysis showed significant differences in penumbra volume for the Phillips Ingenuity scanner, and thrombectomy eligibility for the Canon Aquilion One scanner at one center (7 % increased eligibility with Viz.ai, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Despite systematic differences in core and penumbra volume estimates between Viz.ai and RAPID.AI, DEFUSE-3 eligibility was not statistically different in primary or NIHSS subgroup analysis. A DEFUSE-3 eligibility difference, however, was seen on one scanner at one institution, suggesting scanner model and local CTP protocols can influence performance and cause discrepancies in thrombectomy eligibility. We thus recommend centers discuss optimal scanning protocols with software vendors and scanner manufacturers to maximize CTP accuracy.

Screening and prevention of preterm birth: how is it done in clinical practice?

Objective: To ascertain how screening for preterm birth is performed among obstetricians working in public and private practice in a middle-income country. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 265 obstetrician-gynecologists employed at public and private facilities. An online questionnaire was administered, with items designed to collect data on prematurity screening and prevention practices. Results: The mean age of respondents was 44.5 years; 78.5% were female, and 97.7% had completed a medical residency program. Universal screening (i.e., by ultrasound measurement of cervical length) was carried out by only 11.3% of respondents in public practice; 43% request transvaginal ultrasound if the manual exam is abnormal, and 74.6% request it in pregnant women with risk factors for preterm birth. Conversely, 60.7% of respondents in private practice performed universal screening. This difference in screening practices between public and private practice was highly significant (p < 0.001). Nearly all respondents (90.6%) reported prescribing vaginal progesterone for short cervix. Conclusion: In the setting of this study, universal ultrasound screening to prevent preterm birth was used by just over half of doctors in private practice. In public facilities, screening was even less common. Use of vaginal progesterone in cervical shortening was highly prevalent. There is an unmet need for formal protocols for screening and prevention of preterm birth in middle-income settings.

Fast and low-cost method for direct and simultaneous determination of nitrogen and carbon in soybean leaves using benchtop and portable near-infrared devices.

BACKGROUND: The current techniques for determining carbon and nitrogen content to provide information about the nutritional status of plants are time-consuming and expensive. For this reason, the objective of this study was to develop an analytical method for the direct and simultaneous determination of nitrogen and carbon elemental content in soybean leaves using near-infrared spectroscopy and compare the performance of conventional (1100-2500 nm spectral range) and portable equipment (1100-1700 nm spectral range). Partial least-squares regression models were developed using 27 soybean leaf samples collected during the 2021 harvest and applied for the simultaneous determination of carbon and nitrogen in 13 samples collected during the 2022 harvest. RESULTS: The root-mean-square error of prediction values for nitrogen and carbon were low (2.42 g kg-1 and 4.37 g kg-1 respectively) for the benchtop method yielded low but higher for the portable method (3.82 g kg-1 and 10.7 g kg-1 respectively). The benchtop method did not show significant differences when compared with the reference method for determining nitrogen and carbon. In contrast, the portable methodology showed potential as a screening method for determining nitrogen levels, particularly in fieldwork. CONCLUSION: The methodologies evaluated in this study were implemented and evaluated under real crop monitoring conditions, using independent sets of calibration and prediction samples. Their utilization enables the acquisition of cost-effective, safe analytical data aligning with the principles of green analytical chemistry. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Screening and prevention of preterm birth: how is it done in clinical practice?

Abstract Objective: To ascertain how screening for preterm birth is performed among obstetricians working in public and private practice in a middle-income country. Methods: Cross-sectional study of 265 obstetrician-gynecologists employed at public and private facilities. An online questionnaire was administered, with items designed to collect data on prematurity screening and prevention practices. Results: The mean age of respondents was 44.5 years; 78.5% were female, and 97.7% had completed a medical residency program. Universal screening (i.e., by ultrasound measurement of cervical length) was carried out by only 11.3% of respondents in public practice; 43% request transvaginal ultrasound if the manual exam is abnormal, and 74.6% request it in pregnant women with risk factors for preterm birth. Conversely, 60.7% of respondents in private practice performed universal screening. This difference in screening practices between public and private practice was highly significant (p < 0.001). Nearly all respondents (90.6%) reported prescribing vaginal progesterone for short cervix. Conclusion: In the setting of this study, universal ultrasound screening to prevent preterm birth was used by just over half of doctors in private practice. In public facilities, screening was even less common. Use of vaginal progesterone in cervical shortening was highly prevalent. There is an unmet need for formal protocols for screening and prevention of preterm birth in middle-income settings.

Incidence of thromboembolism and associated factors in multiple myeloma patients treated with immunomodulatory drugs: a retrospective analysis in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

PURPOSE: The use of immunomodulators in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) patients has been associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Due to the increase in mortality of cancer patients, venous thromboembolism is an important concern for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of thromboembolic events and evaluate associated risk factors among Brazilian NDMM patients using immunomodulators. METHODS: Real-life retrospective cohort study in two Brazilian institutions with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients treated with immunomodulators from January 2009 to December 2019. Data was collected from patients' medical records for the period of 1 year, and Cox regression was performed to identify risk factors on the development of VTE. RESULTS: We included 131 patients of which there was a mean age of 61.5 years (SD 11.3), 51.9% female, and predominantly using thalidomide (97.7%) as immunomodulator. We found 9 VTE episodes among our patients, with a 12-month cumulative incidence of 6.97% (95% CI 3.41-12.24). Associated factors after multivariate analysis were recent sepsis, recent traumatic injury, previous VTE, and thromboprophylaxis. CONCLUSION: Our real-life retrospective cohort presented a low incidence of VTE among Brazilian NDMM patients treated with immunomodulators.

Occupational exposure to pesticides dysregulates systemic Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and correlates with poor clinical outcomes in breast cancer patients.

Pesticides are compounds known to cause immunetoxicity in exposed individuals, which have a potential to substantially modify the prognosis of pathologies dependent on an efficient immune response, such as breast cancer. In this context, we examined the circulating cytokine profile of Th1/Th2/Th17 patterns in women occupationally exposed to pesticides and their correlation with worse prognostic outcomes. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 187 rural working women with breast cancer, occupationally exposed or not to pesticides, to quantify the levels of cytokines IL-1ß, IL-12, IL-4, IL-17-A, and TNF -α. Data on the disease profile and clinical outcomes were collected through medical follow-up. IL-12 was reduced in exposed women with tumors larger than 2 cm and in those with lymph node metastases. Significantly reduced levels of IL-17A were observed in exposed patients with Luminal B subtype tumors, with high ki67 proliferation rates, high histological grade, and positive for the progesterone receptor. Reduced IL-4 was also seen in exposed women with lymph node invasion. Our data show that occupational exposure to pesticides induces significant changes in the levels of cytokines necessary for tumor control and correlates with poor prognosis clinical outcomes in breast cancer.

Impacto no acesso e na produção da rede pública de saúde bucal durante a covid-19 em um distrito sanitário do Recife / Impact on access and production of the public oral health network during covid-19 in a health district in Recife

O artigo tem o objetivo de analisar o impacto da pandemia pela covid-19 na Saúde Bucal no Município do Recife/PE ­ Brasil. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, com corte transversal e abordagem quanti-qualitativa. Na qualitativa, realizou-se pesquisa documental de conteúdos emitidos antes e durante a pandemia pela Secretaria de Saúde do Recife/PE, direcionando o processo de trabalho das equipes de saúde bucal. Já na análise quantitativa, observou-se dados do e-SUS Atenção Primária, dos meses de abril, maio, junho e julho nos anos de 2019, 2020 e 2021 do Distrito Sanitário V do Recife. Muitos documentos foram emitidos pelo município a fim de readequar-se à nova demanda. Notou-se que os atendimentos de urgência aumentaram em 2020 (n=168) e 2021 (n=184), em comparação a 2019 (n=81) e as primeiras consultas odontológicas programáticas diminuíram entre 2020 (n=55) e 2021 (n=42), contrapondo a 2019 (n=1653). Boa parte dos agravos em saúde bucal registraram uma tendência de crescimento em porcentagem, em 2020 e 2021. Já os procedimentos odontológicos sofreram grandes reduções, totalizando 358 procedimentos em 2020 e 473 procedimentos em 2021. Observaram-se mudanças profundas tanto na forma de trabalho das equipes de saúde bucal quanto nas demandas apresentadas pelos indicadores analisados.

The article aims to analyze the impact of covid-19 pandemic on Oral Health in Recife/PE ­ Brazil. It is a descriptive, cross-sectional study with quantitative-qualitative approach. In qualitative terms, a documentary research was carried out, with content issued before and during the pandemic by the Health Department of Recife/PE ­ Brazil, directing the work process of oral health teams. In the quantitative analysis, data from e-SUS Primary Care for the months of April, May, June and July in the years of 2019, 2020 and 2021 from the Health District V of Recife were observed. Many documents were issued by the municipality in order to adapt to the new demand. It was perceived that emergency room visits increased in 2020 (n=168) and 2021 (n=184), compared to 2019 (n=81) and the first programmatic dental appointments decreased between 2020 (n=55) and 2021 (n=42), as opposed to 2019 (n=1653). A good part of oral health problems registered a growth trend in percentage, in 2020 and 2021. Dental procedures, on the other hand, suffered extensive reductions, totaling 358 procedures in 2020 and 473 procedures in 2021. There were profound changes both in the way the oral health teams work and in the demands presented by the analyzed indicators.

Factors associated with potentially inappropriate medications in elderly with multiple myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: Elderly with cancer often have multimorbidity, which determines a higher risk of polypharmacy. This is related to negative clinical results such as adverse drug reaction and emergence service visits. Furthermore, polypharmacy increases the risk of using potentially inappropriate medications. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the use of potentially inappropriate medication in elderly with multiple myeloma and associated factors. METHODS: The study was conducted with older adults with multiple myeloma treated at outpatient oncology and hematology services in a southeastern Brazilian capital. Potentially inappropriate medications were classified using the American Geriatric Society/Beers 2019 Criteria. Variables were described using frequency and proportions, performing multiple logistic regression to identify factors associated with the use of potentially inappropriate medications. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-three older adults with multiple myeloma were included, with a median age of 70.9 years. The median number of medications was 8, and 63% of patients used polypharmacy. More than half (54%) of the patients used potentially inappropriate medications, and proton pump inhibitors (46%) and benzodiazepines (8%) were the most employed therapeutic classes. Older adults who used potentially inappropriate medications differed from those who did not use them in the following characteristics: income up to three minimum wages, higher schooling level, private service, multimorbidity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, depression, adverse event, and polypharmacy. Higher schooling levels and polypharmacy were independently associated with the use of potentially inappropriate medications in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Potentially inappropriate medication use was high in patients with multiple myeloma studied. The use of polypharmacy and higher schooling levels were independently and positively associated with the use of potentially inappropriate medications.

Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Impacts Quality Of Life And Activities Of Daily Living Of Brazilian Multiple Myeloma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Survival in multiple myeloma (MM) has improved in the past years with the introduction of immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors. However, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is associated with both drug classes affecting Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and activities of daily living (ADL). OBJECTIVE: We evaluated CIPN in MM patients to identify associated factors and impacts on HRQoL and ADL. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with Brazilian patients from public and private health services. Patients were interviewed using validated tools to measure CIPN and HRQoL, along with sociodemographic and clinical questions. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of CIPN with sociodemographic, clinical, and HRQoL variables. RESULTS: In total, 217 patients were eligible for the study. The median age was 67, 50.9% were women, 51.6% had low income, 47.5% had low education, and 55.3% attended private health services. The chemotherapy regimen most used was the combination of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone (17.5%) among the 24 types of regimens found. Most patients (90.3%) had at least one CIPN symptom: 62.7% were severe, and 51.62% were extremely bothered ADL. Numbness was the most common symptom (40.6%). CIPN was independently associated with education, hospitalization, chemotherapy, side effects, disease symptoms, and global health status in HRQoL. CONCLUSION: MM patients showed a high frequency of CIPN, which affected ADL and impaired HRQoL. Early and accurate detection of CIPN and dose management in patients with thalidomide and bortezomib-based regimens should be performed to provide better treatment outcomes and avoid permanent disabilities.

Health-related quality of life and use of medication with anticholinergic activity in patients with multiple myeloma.

PURPOSE: Verify the association between anticholinergic burden and health-related quality of life of patients with multiple myeloma. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with multiple myeloma outpatient from a state capital city in southeastern Brazil. Sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacotherapeutic variables were collected by interview. Clinical data were complemented by medical records. Drugs with anticholinergic activity were identified with Brazilian Anticholinergic Activity Drug Scale. Health-related quality of life scores were obtained using QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20 instruments. Mann-Whitney was used to compare the median of the health-related quality of life scale scores and the independent variables. Multivariate linear regression was performed to verify the association between independent variables and health-related quality of life scores. RESULTS: Two hundred thirteen patients were included, 56.3% had multi-morbidities, and 71.8% used polypharmacy. In all health-related quality of life domains, there were differences between the medians of the polypharmacy variable. A significant difference was identified between the ACh burden and QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20 scores. Linear regression identified an association between the use of drugs with anticholinergic activity and the reduction of global status scores (QLQ-C30), functional scale (QLQ-C30), body image (QLQ-MY20), and future perspective (QLQ-MY20). Drugs with anticholinergic activity were associated with increased symptom scores (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20). Polypharmacy was associated with reduction of functioning score and increase of symptom score (QLQ-C30). CONCLUSION: Anticholinergic burden in MM patients is associated with lower scores in quality of life domains: global health and symptoms (QLQ-C30) and functional (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-MY20). The presence of polypharmacy is also associated with lower scores for functional scales and symptom scales (QLQ-C30).

Proteomics of novel induced pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular endothelial cells reveal extensive similarity with an immortalized human endothelial cell line.

The vascular endothelium constitutes the inner lining of the blood vessel, and malfunction and injuries of the endothelium can cause cardiovascular diseases as well as other diseases including stroke, tumor growth, and chronic kidney failure. Generation of effective sources to replace injured endothelial cells (ECs) could have significant clinical impact, and somatic cell sources like peripheral or cord blood cannot credibly supply enough endothelial cell progenitors for multitude of treatments. Pluripotent stem cells are a promising source for a reliable EC supply, which have the potential to restore tissue function and treat vascular diseases. We have developed methods to differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) efficiently and robustly across multiple iPSC lines into nontissue-specific pan vascular ECs (iECs) with high purity. These iECs present with canonical endothelial cell markers and exhibit measures of endothelial cell functionality with the uptake of Dil fluorescent dye-labeled acetylated low-density lipoprotein (Dil-Ac-LDL) and tube formation. Using proteomic analysis, we revealed that the iECs are more proteomically similar to established human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) than to iPSCs. Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) were most shared between HUVECs and iECs, and potential targets for increasing the proteomic similarity of iECs to HUVECs were identified. Here we demonstrate an efficient robust method to differentiate iPSCs into functional ECs, and for the first time provide a comprehensive protein expression profile of iECs, which indicates their similarities with a widely used immortalized HUVECs, allowing for further mechanistic studies of EC development, signaling, and metabolism for future regenerative applications.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We have developed methods to differentiate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) across multiple iPSC lines into nontissue-specific pan vascular ECs (iECs) and demonstrated the proteomic similarity of these cells to a widely used endothelial cell line (HUVECs). We also identified posttranslational modifications and targets for increasing the proteomic similarity of iECs to HUVECs. In the future, iECs can be used to study EC development, signaling, and metabolism for future regenerative applications.

Comparison of three risk assessment models for thromboembolism in multiple myeloma patients receiving immunomodulators: a Brazilian historical cohort.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is among the complications of Multiple Myeloma (MM) and may occur in up to 10% of this patient population. However, medications used in MM therapy such as immunomodulators (IMID) may raise these rates. Thus, risk prediction models have been developed to quantify the risk of VTE in MM patients. The aim of this study is to compare the performance of three risk assessment models for VTE in newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients using immunomodulatory agents. A historical cohort study during a 10-year period in a Brazilian metropolis with NDMM treated with IMID. Data were collected from patient's medical charts for the period of one year to calculate the scores using IMPEDE VTE, SAVED, and International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) guidelines. The area under the curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis was calculated to assess the discriminative power of three risk assessment models. We included 131 patients (9 in the VTE group versus 122 in the non VTE group). According to IMPEDE, 19.1, 62.6, and 18.3% of patients were considered low, intermediate, and high risk, respectively. SAVED classified 32.1% as high risk and 64.9% had ≥2 risk factors based on IMWG guidelines. The AUC of the IMPEDE VTE score was 0.80 (95% CI 0.66-0.95, p = 0.002), of the SAVED score was 0.69 (95% CI 0.49-0.89, p = 0.057), and of the IMWG risk score was 0.68 (95% CI 0.48-0.88, p = 0.075). IMPEDE VTE was the most accurate in predicting the development of VTE in Brazilian patients on IMID therapy. The SAVED score and the IMWG guidelines did not show discriminative ability in predicting VTE based on the population involved in this study.

Real-world effectiveness and safety of multiple myeloma treatments based on thalidomide and bortezomib: A retrospective cohort study from 2009 to 2020 in a Brazilian metropolis.

BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer of plasma cells; the survival of which has improved over the years with the emergence of new treatments. In Brazil, the availability of treatment-regimens is different from developed countries. Real-world evidence with Brazilian patients is lacking. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of MM treatments in a Brazilian metropolis. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study with MM patients, beginning MM treatment from 2009 to 2020 (i.e., before bortezomib became available in public health services). Patients' medical records were revised to obtain clinical variables. The primary outcomes were Overall Survival (OS) and Progression Free Survival (PFS, measured as time to next treatment), and the secondary outcomes were Adverse Events (AE). Kaplan-Meier curves were obtained and the Cox proportional hazards model was performed for univariate and multivariate analyses. The incidence of AE was estimated and the chi-squared test was performed to evaluate the association between AE and MM regimens. RESULTS: In total, 278 patients participated in the study with median age of 64 years; 50.4 % were females, 55.8 % attended a private clinic, 34.9 % received autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and 32.4 % were on polypharmacy. Most patients from public services used thalidomide-based regimens (40.3 %) and at private clinics used bortezomib-based regimens (38.1 %) as first-line treatment. Patients had a median OS of 99 months. Patients had median PFS of 28 months in first-line treatment, which was significantly different for age (p = 0.0055), polypharmacy (p = 0.0094) and ASCT (p < 0.0001). PFS was independently associated to polypharmacy and ASCT. The incidence of peripheral neuropathy (39.6 %) was high. In contrast, the incidence of severe AE was low. We found significant difference between first-line T + B-based regimens and leukopenia (p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that patients on polypharmacy and who did not receive ASCT had worse PFS. Similar to other Latin countries, most patients used thalidomide- and bortezomib-based regimens as first-line treatments having similar OS and PFS. Treatments were considered relatively safe, especially regarding serious AE.

The use of toys by nursing as a therapeutic resource in the care of hospitalized children.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the use of toys by nursing during the care of children in the inpatient unit; to analyze the factors that influence the use of therapeutic toys by nursing in the care of hospitalized children. METHODS: qualitative research, conducted in a pediatric hospital in Rio de Janeiro between July and August 2019. Semi-structured interview and thematic analysis were used as methodological procedure. RESULTS: the 12 nurses and 7 nursing technicians revealed minimizing fear, relieving tension, and creating a bond between the child and the professional as the main benefits; they use as resources: children's toys, hospital materials, cartoons, and children's videos. The high demand for work, deficit of human resources, and appropriate ludic materials are factors that interfere with the use of toys as a therapeutic resource. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: although the participants recognize the importance of the toy as a therapeutic resource, there is no systematization of its use in pediatric practice.

Effect of Adding Matricaria recutita L., Cymbopogon citratus, or Mentha piperita L. Extracts to Fermented Orange Beverage: Sensory Evaluation, Physicochemical Characterization, and Prediction of Toxic Risks and Biological Activity In Silico.

Fermentation is an important tool in producing functional beverages through agro-industrial wastes, and medicinal and aromatic plants due to the specific content of bioactive molecules. Therefore, this study evaluated the contribution of Matricaria recutita (chamomile), Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), or Mentha piperita (peppermint) extracts to the phytochemical profile and potential biological effects of a functional fermented orange beverage in vitro and in silico. The concentrations of aromatic herbal extracts that yielded the best sensory performance for fermented beverages were selected for analyses that involved characterizing the fermented beverages. The beverages that received the extracts (2%) had the highest phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidant potential compared to the control. Hesperidin (124-130 mg L-1), narirutin (66-70 mg L-1), chlorogenic (11-16 mg L-1), caffeic (5.3-5.5 mg L-1), and ferulic (1-1.7 mg L-1) acids were found in the different formulations. The in silico analysis suggested that the evaluated compounds do not present a toxicity risk (mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, hepatotoxicity, and ability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier). Additionally, they can contribute to the biological effects of therapeutic importance, such as antioxidant, gastroprotective, and anti-ulcerative properties, and the Mentha piperita L. extract presented the greatest potential among the evaluated herbs for use in functional fermented beverages.