Effects of dam metabolic profile and seasonality (Spring vs. Winter) on their offspring' metabolism, health, and immunity: maternal factors in dairy calves' analytes.

Maternal status during the transition period can significantly impact the health and performance of Holstein dairy calves, with lasting effects on various variables. However, the relationship between maternal late gestation metabolic status, seasonality, and their impact on offspring remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the influence of maternal variables at calving on the performance, metabolism, and immunity of 28 dairy calves during their first month of life. Blood samples were collected from 28 Holstein cows at calving. Median results for maternal variables including non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), glucose, total protein (TP), albumin, triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), haptoglobin (Hp), body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS) were determined. These median values served as a basis for categorizing the offspring into two groups based on their dams' high or low degree of each maternal variable. Additionally, calves were categorized by the season of birth (Spring vs. Winter), with 14 in each. Blood samples were collected from the calves at birth and on days 1, 7, 14, and 28 to assess IgG, biochemical parameters, and haptoglobin concentration. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by polymorphonuclear cells stimulated by various agents was also evaluated. Clinical assessments were conducted for diarrhea and bovine respiratory disease frequencies. Despite the overall health of the cows, differences were observed in the calves between maternal groups. Heavier cows with high maternal BCS tended to have larger offspring, while high maternal BCS was associated with increased diarrhea prevalence. Low maternal BCS resulted in a stronger innate immune response, indicated by higher ROS production. Calves from cows experiencing metabolic changes during calving displayed elevated Hp concentrations. Spring-born calves were larger but had lower serum IgG concentration and reduced innate immune response compared to winter-born calves. Additionally, spring-born calves exhibited higher Hp and increased diarrhea prevalence on day 28. These findings underscore the importance of the prenatal period in determining neonatal health and suggest further research to elucidate the long-term clinical implications of maternal effects on offspring health and growth. Investigating offspring constituents later in life can provide insight into the persistence of maternal effects over time.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis and Clinical-Epidemiological Characterization of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Maranhão, Brazil, from 2009 to 2020.

This study was carried out to identify the spatial distribution and characterize the clinical-epidemiological profile of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Maranhão state, Brazil, from 2009 to 2020. This descriptive ecological study collected sociodemographic and clinical data of VL cases from the Brazilian Notifiable Diseases Information System database. A spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran statistics) was performed. From 2009 to 2020, 5699 cases of VL were reported, with incidence of 6.5 cases/100,000 and prevalence of 7.1 cases/100,000. The temporal analysis showed a significant growth in incidence from 2009 to 2018, followed by a significant decrease between 2019 and 2020. The Moran map shows hotspots of high values in the central-west and central-east regions, and hotspots of low values in the northern region of Maranhão. The profile of patients affected by VL comprises males (OR = 1.8; IC95% = 1.72-1.92), aged under 14 years, brown, and with incomplete elementary schooling. The main symptoms reported were fever, fatigue, and edema. The main diagnostic method was laboratory. The mortality rate was 6.8%, and co-infection with HIV was reported by 8.5% of patients. The results of this study indicated the increase in incidence and lethality, as well as the expansion, of leishmaniasis in the state of Maranhão.

Proteotransciptomics of the Most Popular Host Sea Anemone Entacmaea quadricolor Reveals Not All Toxin Genes Expressed by Tentacles Are Recruited into Its Venom Arsenal.

While the unique symbiotic relationship between anemonefishes and sea anemones is iconic, it is still not fully understood how anemonefishes can withstand and thrive within the venomous environment of their host sea anemone. In this study, we used a proteotranscriptomics approach to elucidate the proteinaceous toxin repertoire from the most common host sea anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor. Although 1251 different toxin or toxin-like RNA transcripts were expressed in E. quadricolor tentacles (0.05% of gene clusters, 1.8% of expression) and 5375 proteins were detected in milked venom, only 4% of proteins detected in venom were putative toxins (230), and they only represent on average 14% of the normalised protein expression in the milked venom samples. Thus, most proteins in milked venom do not appear to have a toxin function. This work raises the perils of defining a dominant venom phenotype based on transcriptomics data alone in sea anemones, as we found that the dominant venom phenotype differs between the transcriptome and proteome abundance data. E. quadricolor venom contains a mixture of toxin-like proteins of unknown and known function. A newly identified toxin protein family, Z3, rich in conserved cysteines of unknown function, was the most abundant at the RNA transcript and protein levels. The venom was also rich in toxins from the Protease S1, Kunitz-type and PLA2 toxin protein families and contains toxins from eight venom categories. Exploring the intricate venom toxin components in other host sea anemones will be crucial for improving our understanding of how anemonefish adapt to the venomous environment.

Natural habitat connectivity and organic management modulate pest dispersal, gene flow, and natural enemy communities.

The simplification and fragmentation of agricultural landscapes generate effects on insects at multiple spatial scales. As each functional group perceives and uses the habitat differently, the response of pest insects and their associated natural enemies to environmental changes varies. Therefore, landscape structure may have consequences on gene flow among pest populations in space. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of local and landscape factors, at multiple scales, on the local infestation, gene flow and broad dispersion dynamics of the pest insect Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM-1, former biotype B) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and its associated natural enemies in a tropical agroecosystem. We evaluated the abundance of B. tabaci populations and their natural enemy community in 20 tomato farms in Brazil and the gene flow between farms from 2019 to 2021. Landscapes dominated by agriculture resulted in larger B. tabaci populations and higher gene flow, especially in conventional farms. A higher density of native vegetation patches disfavored pest populations, regardless of the management system. The results revealed that whitefly responds to intermediate spatial scales and that landscape factors interact with management systems to modulate whitefly populations on focal farms. Conversely, whitefly natural enemies benefited from higher amounts of natural vegetation at small spatial scales, while the connectivity between natural habitat patches was beneficial for natural enemies regardless of the distance from the focal farm. The resulting dispersion model predicts that the movement of whiteflies between farms increases as the amount of natural vegetation decreases. Our findings demonstrate that landscape features, notably landscape configuration, can mediate infestation episodes, as they affect pest insects and natural enemies in opposite ways. We also showed that landscape features interact with farm traits, which highlights the need for management strategies at multiple spatial scales. In conclusion, we demonstrated the importance of the conservation of natural areas as a key strategy for area-wide ecological pest management and the relevance of organic farming to benefit natural enemy communities in tropical agroecosystems.

Historical Hg accumulation (∼65 cal kyr BP) in upland lakes of the Southeastern Brazilian Amazonia: New evidence of the extent of geogenic and diagenetic control.

The historical upland lake sediments in the Brazilian Amazon witnessed significant enrichment of total mercury (Hg). However, its spatio-temporal relationships between lakes and the main factors responsible for this enrichment are still poorly constrained. Given this, we geochemically investigated 12 radiometrically dated (extending back to ∼65 cal kyr BP) sediment cores from the Carajás plateau, Brazil. The Hg level in historical sediments presented a large temporal variability (from 1 to 3200 µg/kg), with maximum accumulation peaks observed between 30 and 45 cal kyr BP in core R2, LB3, and R1. However, the lack of the Hg peak in other cores (LV2 and LTI3) during the same period despite being proximity and non-correlation of these Hg peaks with the onset of major volcanic events indicates that this source has little bearing. Hg enrichment is highly dependent on the type of sedimentary facies, with higher values were associated with detritic facies (MI) and detritic+organic facies (P/M). Principal component analysis shows that aluminosilicate minerals and organic matter are essential hosts of Hg in sediments. The positive correlation between Al, Ti, and Hg in detritic facies and their strong coherence with Hg/TOC in R1, R5, LSL, ST02, and LB3 cores indicate that Hg is primarily of lithogenic origin. This can be substantiated by the higher background threshold value of Hg (574 µg/kg) in historical lake sediments compared to those in recent lake sediments (340 µg/kg). However, the most pronounced Hg peak (3200 µg/kg) in R2 around 45 cal kyr BP, which correlates positively with TOC, S, Se, As, and Mo indicates their diagenetic enrichment in organic-rich sediments under anoxic conditions. Thus, in addition to the lithogenic effect, it can be argued that diagenesis can play a significant role in prompting Hg enrichment in the Carajás lake sediments in Amazonia.

Starch can act differently when combined with alginate or gellan gum to form hydrogels.

Microgels were tailored by combining starches from different sources (corn, potato or phosphated) and anionic polysaccharides (gellan gum or alginate) using ionic gelation. Rheological analysis pointed out a lower consistency index for alginate-based solutions compared to the gellan-based ones and, therefore, this favored the formation of smaller droplets during the atomization process (58.74 ± 1.72 µm vs. 101.38 ± 2.71 µm). Additionally, it was noticed that the starch granule size isdirectly related to the diameter of the particle formed, both for gellan and alginate systems. The combination between starches and anionic gums still promoted an increase in the water holding capacity, probably due to the presence of additional hydrophilic groups from starch. According to the mechanical properties, starch acts differently when combined with alginate or gellan gum, considering it strengthened the biopolymeric network for the alginate-based gels increasing the stress at rupture values (except for potato starch), while it decreasedthe hardness and elasticity for gellan-based gels. Microparticles based on gellan and alginate showed high anthocyanin encapsulation efficiency (EE ≥ 80%) in all systems. In these cases, the addition of starch did not contribute to increasing this property, even though starch granules filled the gel pores. The high EE showed that the studied systems allow the encapsulation of anthocyanin and suggest possible encapsulation of other hydrophilic bioactive compounds, considering the best type of starch for each application.

Cytotoxic and oxidative changes in individuals occupationally exposed to recyclable municipal solid waste.

aste collectors are exposed to a wide variety of bacteria, endotoxins, fungi, allergens, particulate matter, irritating inhalants, and vehicle exhaust, making them more prone to development of chronic diseases. Although several studies described the impact of occupational exposure on the overall health of waste collectors, few investigations were conducted regarding cellular and molecular changes that may occur due to exposure. The aim of this study was to assess biomarkers of oxidative stress such as levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipoperoxidation, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), apoptosis, butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and mitochondrial function (MitoTrackerTM Green FM and MitoTrackerTM Red) using the peripheral blood from individuals occupationally exposed to recyclable solid waste in Southern Brazil. The study included 30 waste collectors and 30 control individuals, who did not perform activities with recognized exposure to biological and chemical substances. Waste collectors were found to exhibit in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) higher rates of apoptosis, increased production of ROS, and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), associated with decreased total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and elevated activity of BChE in plasma. Therefore, evidence indicates that cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses may be involved in the multiplicity of adverse health outcomes related to contaminant exposure in waste collectors. It is thus necessary to implement and/or improve occupational health programs aimed at workers as well as mandatory inspections for the use of personal protective equipment.

Alterações bucais associadas ao tratamento antineoplásico e a importância da assistência odontológica ao paciente oncológico: uma revisão integrativa / Oral alterations associated with antineoplastic treatment and the importance of dental care for oncology patients: an integrative review / Alteraciones orales asociadas al tratamiento antineoplásico y la importancia de la atención dental en pacientes oncológicos: una revisión integrativa

O tratamento oncológico por meio da quimioterapia e radioterapia consiste em destruir ou impedir o crescimento das células tumorais, visando a cura ou controle da doença. No entanto, esses tratamentos podem ocasionar danos às células saudáveis e consequentes efeitos colaterais, especialmente na cavidade oral, causando alterações como: mucosite, xerostomia, disgeusia, infecções orais, trismo e osteorradionecrose. Objetivo:Sumarizar estudos sobre a importância da prevenção ecuidado das alterações bucais no manejo odontológico a pacientes em tratamento oncológico.Metodologia:Revisão integrativa, a partir da identificação do tema e elaboração da questão norteadora com busca sistematizada da literatura realizada entre os meses de setembro e novembro de 2022. Foram realizadas buscasnas bases de dados da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, Google Acadêmicoe PubMed, excluindo-se artigos publicados há mais de cinco anos.Resultados:Obteve-se uma amostra final de seteestudos, após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão e exclusão.Houve concordância entre todos eles acerca das alterações bucais durante o tratamento oncológico, enfatizando a necessidade de assistência odontológica nesses pacientes antes, durante e após a terapia antineoplásica, além deminimizar efeitos desta intervenção. Conclusões:A atuação do cirurgião-dentista no cuidado aos pacientes oncológicos tem grande relevância, uma vez que as condições de saúde bucal impactam a qualidade de vida desses indivíduos. Em suma, o presente estudo contribuino entendimento das alterações bucais e cuidados para o bem-estar do paciente (AU).

Oncologicaltreatment through chemotherapy and radiotherapy consists of destroying or preventing the growth of tumor cells, aiming at curing or controlling the disease. However, these treatments can cause damage to healthy cells and consequent side effects, especially in the oral cavity, causing changes such as: mucositis, xerostomia, dysgeusia, oral infections, trismus and osteoradionecrosis. Objective:To summarize studies on the importance of prevention and care for oral changes in the dental management for patients undergoing oncologicaltreatment.Methodology:Integrative reviewfrom theidentification of the theme and elaboration of the guiding question with a systematic search of the literature carried out between September and November 2022. They were carried out searchesin the Virtual Health Librarydatabase, Google Scholar and PubMed, excluding articles published more than five years ago.Results:A final sample of 07 studies was obtained, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. There was agreement among all of them about oral changes during cancer treatment, emphasizing the need for dental care in these patients before, during and after antineoplastic therapy, in addition to minimizing the effects of this intervention.Conclusions:The performance of the dental surgeon in the care of cancer patients is of great relevance, since oral health conditions impact the quality of life of these individuals. In short, the presentstudy contributesto the of oral changesand care for the patient's well-being (AU).

El tratamiento oncológicopor mediodequimioterapia y radioterapia consiste en destruir o impedir el crecimiento de las células tumorales, visando lacurar o controla de la enfermedad. Sin embargo, estos tratamientos pueden causar daño a las células sanasy en consecuenciaefectos secundarios, especialmenteen la cavidad oral, causandoalteraciones como: mucositis, xerostomía, disgeusia, infecciones orales, trismoy osteorradionecrosis.Objetivo: Resumir estudios acerca de la importancia de la prevención y cuidados de las alteracionesorales en el manejo dental apacientes en tratamiento oncológico.Metodología: Revisión integrativa, apartir de la identificación detema y elaboración de la pregunta guía con buscasistematizadade la literatura realizada entre los meses de septiembre y noviembre de 2022. Fueron realizadas búsquedas en las bases de datos de la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud, Google Académico y PubMed, excluyéndoseartículos publicados hace más de cinco años. Resultados: Se obtuvo una muestra final de siete estudios, después aplicaciones de los criterios de inclusión y exclusión. Hubo concordancia entre todos acerca de las alteracionesorales durante el tratamiento oncológico, enfatizando la necesidad de asistencia odontológica en esespacientes antes, durante y después de la terapia antineoplásica, además de minimizar efectos de esta intervención.Conclusiones: La actuación del cirujano dentistaen el cuidado a lospacientes oncológicos tienegran relevancia, una vez que las condiciones de salud oral impactan la calidad de vida de los individuos. En suma, el presente estudio contribuyeen el entendimientode las alteraciones orales y cuidados para el bienestar del paciente (AU).

The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on a national project preventing healthcare-associated infections in intensive care units.

Beginning in 2018, a quality improvement collaborative initiative in Brazil successfully reduced the baseline incidence density of healthcare-associated infections in intensive care settings after 2 years. We describe the adaptations of the quality improvement interventions as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and how the pandemic affected the project outcomes.

A National Implementation Project to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Intensive Care Units: A Collaborative Initiative Using the Breakthrough Series Model.

Background: Although there are simple and low-cost measures to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), they remain a major public health problem. Quality issues and a lack of knowledge about HAI control among healthcare professionals may contribute to this scenario. In this study, our aim is to present the implementation of a project to prevent HAIs in intensive care units (ICUs) using the quality improvement (QI) collaborative model Breakthrough Series (BTS). Methods: A QI report was conducted to assess the results of a national project in Brazil between January 2018 and February 2020. A 1-year preintervention analysis was conducted to determine the incidence density baseline of the 3 main HAIs: central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP), and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs). The BTS methodology was applied during the intervention period to coach and empower healthcare professionals providing evidence-based, structured, systematic, and auditable methodologies and QI tools to improve patients' care outcomes. Results: A total of 116 ICUs were included in this study. The 3 HAIs showed a significant decrease of 43.5%, 52.1%, and 65.8% for CLABSI, VAP, and CA-UTI, respectively. A total of 5140 infections were prevented. Adherence to bundles inversely correlated with the HAI incidence densities: CLABSI insertion and maintenance bundle (R = -0.50, P = .010 and R = -0.85, P < .001, respectively), VAP prevention bundle (R = -0.69, P < .001), and CA-UTI insertion and maintenance bundle (R = -0.82, P < .001 and R = -0.54, P = .004, respectively). Conclusions: Descriptive data from the evaluation of this project show that the BTS methodology is a feasible and promising approach to preventing HAIs in critical care settings.

Nationwide assessment of leadership development for graduate students in the agricultural plant sciences.

Leadership development is a universally important goal across the agricultural plant science disciplines. Although previous studies have identified a need for leadership skills, less is known about leadership skill development in graduate programs. To address this, we constructed a mixed-method study to identify the most significant graduate school leadership experiences of scientists in the agricultural plant science disciplines. The survey was deployed to 6,728 people in the U.S. and received 1,086 responses (16.1% response rate). The majority of respondents reported that they were from one of the major agricultural states and employed at one of the agricultural plant science related doctoral universities, industries, or government. Results from this survey suggest that recent graduates were more engaged in graduate school activities that offered leadership development. Key experiences in graduate school were also identified that may be used to develop future leaders. Additionally, respondents reported the greatest barrier to providing leadership development for graduate students was that it is not part of their program curriculum, however current graduate students responded differently, and identifying lack of funding to support experiences as the greatest barrier. This survey also identified the top ranked professional skills considered most important for effective leaders in agricultural plant sciences as well as respondent-driven recommendations on how graduate programs can improve leadership development. Collectively, these results can be used in the future to identify priorities for skill development and opportunities for leadership training among graduate students within the plant science disciplines.

Utilising tourist-generated citizen science data in response to environmental challenges: A systematic literature review.

There has been a proliferation of studies that have examined the impacts of public participation in Citizen Science (CS) that respond to environmental challenges and the recovery of ecosystems, endangered species or other important natural assets. However, comparatively few studies have explored how tourists may play a critical role in the generation of CS data and thus it has been posited that many potential opportunities remain unrealised. By systematically analysing studies that have utilised tourist-generated data in response to environmental challenges or issues, this paper seeks to establish an appraisal of what has so far been established in extant literature and to identify future possibilities for the inclusion of tourists in CS. Via our literature search, a total of 45 peer-reviewed studies were identified via the PRISMA search protocol. Our findings reveal numerous positive outcomes were reported that highlight the significant, yet largely untapped, potential of tourist integration in CS, with studies also offering a range of recommendations on how tourists could be included more effectively to expand scientific knowledge. Notwithstanding, several limitations were observed, and it is critical that future CS projects that utilise tourists for data collection purposes are acutely aware of the challenges they may encounter.

Cell-type-specific metabolism in plants.

Every plant organ contains tens of different cell types, each with a specialized function. These functions are intrinsically associated with specific metabolic flux distributions that permit the synthesis of the ATP, reducing equivalents and biosynthetic precursors demanded by the cell. Investigating such cell-type-specific metabolism is complicated by the mosaic of different cells within each tissue combined with the relative scarcity of certain types. However, techniques for the isolation of specific cells, their analysis in situ by microscopy, or modeling of their function in silico have permitted insight into cell-type-specific metabolism. In this review we present some of the methods used in the analysis of cell-type-specific metabolism before describing what we know about metabolism in several cell types that have been studied in depth; (i) leaf source and sink cells; (ii) glandular trichomes that are capable of rapid synthesis of specialized metabolites; (iii) guard cells that must accumulate large quantities of the osmolytes needed for stomatal opening; (iv) cells of seeds involved in storage of reserves; and (v) the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells of C4 plants that participate in a CO2 concentrating cycle. Metabolism is discussed in terms of its principal features, connection to cell function and what factors affect the flux distribution. Demand for precursors and energy, availability of substrates and suppression of deleterious processes are identified as key factors in shaping cell-type-specific metabolism.

Remote and Unsupervised Exercise Strategies for Improving the Physical Activity of Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) burden across the world is expected to increase by ~2.2 million new cases and ~1.1 million deaths by 2030. Regular physical exercise is recommended to prevent CRC, but the myriad of protocols preclude further discussion on how to manage its variables for this population. Home-based exercise guided by remote monitoring provides an alternative to surpass the barriers of supervised exercise. However, no meta-analysis was conducted to verify the effectiveness of this intervention for improving physical activity (PA). We performed a systematic review of remote and unsupervised strategies imposed on CRC patients for improving PA and compared, via a meta-analysis, their effectiveness against CRC patients submitted to usual care or no intervention. The databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched on 20 September 2022. Eleven studies attained the criteria for eligibility in the qualitative approach, and seven were included in the meta-analysis. No significant effect (p = 0.06) of remote and unsupervised exercise intervention was observed. However, a sensitivity analysis including three studies that only considered CRC patients was performed, demonstrating a significant effect in favor of exercise (p = 0.008). Based on our sensitivity analysis, remote and unsupervised exercise strategies were effective to improve the PA of CRC patients.

Resident wild koalas show resilience to large-scale translocation of bushfire-rescued koalas.

Wildlife translocation is increasingly utilized as a conservation management action, to mitigate the immediate negative effects of habitat loss and fragmentation (e.g. from land clearing or bushfires). Previous research has shown that stress responses can help or hinder survival in translocated wildlife and determine the efficacy of translocation as a conservation action. Yet these translocated animals are only one side of the equation, with translocation also potentially impacting the animals in the recipient population. We measured physiological markers of stress (faecal cortisol metabolite concentrations and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios) and assessed health condition in a wild koala population one year after a major translocation of bushfire-rescued koalas on Kangaroo Island. We expected to find a high population density at the site (>0.75 koalas per hectare) and that resident koalas would show signs of chronic stress and ill health as a result of territorial conflict over food trees and reproductive opportunities. In contrast, we found that only one-fifth of the population remaining at the site were translocated koalas. The overall population density was also much lower (0.21 koalas per hectare) than anticipated. With no evidence of mass mortality at the site, we suggest that the majority of translocated koalas dispersed away from the site. Our stress marker measurements did not differ between the wild koalas and a sample of captive (non-display) koalas at the nearby Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park and were generally low compared to other studies. Veterinary examinations found that most koalas were in good body condition with very few diagnostic indicators of systemic ill health. Overall, our results suggest that, if there is adequate landscape-scale habitat connectivity and opportunity for dispersal, translocated koalas are likely to disperse from the site of release, with limited impacts on recipient koala populations at translocation release sites.

Influence of Mycoplasma bovis infection on milk production and quality of Holstein dairy cows.

We wished to determine if Mycoplasma bovis infection can negatively impact milk quality and production in Holstein dairy cows. For this Research Communication, milk samples (271) from Holstein cows from 3 herds were screened for M. bovis by real-time PCR. Positive (n = 21) and negative animals (n = 21) were matched by herd, age, lactations and days in milk (DIM). Pairs were evaluated in 7 stages of lactation: D1-50, D51-100, D101-150, D151-200, D201-250, D251-300, and D ≥ 301. A mixed model was used to assess the effect of groups (M. bovis+ × M.bovis-), time (lactation) and groups × time interaction. Cows positive for M. bovis had lower average milk production per day and high somatic cells count (SCC).

Phytosterols and γ-Oryzanol as Cholesterol Solid Phase Modifiers during Digestion.

Literature reports that ingestion of phytosterols and γ-oryzanol contributes to cholesterol lowering. Despite in vivo observations, thermodynamic phase equilibria could explain phenomena occurring during digestion leading to such effects. To advance the observations made by previous literature, this study was aimed at describing the complete solid-liquid phase equilibrium diagrams of cholesterol + phytosterol and γ-oryzanol systems by DSC, evaluating them by powder X-ray, microscopy, and thermodynamic modeling. Additionally, this study evaluated the phenomena observed by an in vitro digestibility method. Results confirmed the formation of solid solution in the cholesterol + phytosterols system at any concentration and that cholesterol + γ-oryzanol mixtures formed stable liquid crystalline phases with a significant melting temperature depression. The in vitro protocol supported the idea that the same phenomena can occur during digestion in which mechanochemical forces were probably the mechanisms promoting cholesterol solid phase changes in the presence of such phytocompounds. In this case, these changes could alter cholesterol solubility and possibly its absorption in the gastrointestinal lumen.

Análise de modelos de triagem odontológica / Analysis of dental screening models / Análisis de modelos de cribado dental

Introdução: Diante da realidade virtual que se encontram os procedimentos burocráticos, observa-se a necessidade de se idealizar programas de triagem nas clínicas-escola com os objetivos de se encaminhar pacientes para a clínica mais compatível com as suas necessidades, e substituir os prontuários físicos pelos eletrônicos, numa alternativa ambientalmente correta.Objetivo: Avaliar a efetividade de um modelo de triagem informatizado, comparando-o ao modelo utilizado atualmente, no serviço de Serviço de Triagem e Documentação Odontológica do Departamento de Odontologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Metodologia: O estudo realizado foi do tipo descritivo, constituído de uma amostra de 50 pacientes, que foram submetidos ao modelo de triagem utilizado atualmente no Serviço de Triagem e Documentação Odontológica do Departamento de Odontologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte e a triagem com aplicação de um programa informatizado. Foi avaliada a efetividade do dispositivo e feita uma comparação entre os modelos. A análise estatística foi feita por meio do índice de correlação intra-classe, utilizando-se um banco de dados criado no software Statistical Package for Social Sciences, versão 20.0, adotando significância de 95% (p< 0,05).Resultados: Após análise estatística, com realização de correlação entre os resultados do software e o modelo atual de triagem, obteve-se coeficiente de correlação intra-classe de 0,578, com o nível de significância, para avaliação dos dados obtidos de (P<0,05), foi possível evidenciar que ocorreu correlação satisfatória positiva e significativa entre os resultados do software e o modelo atual de triagem.Conclusões:Os resultados denotam concordância entre os modelos de triagem estudados e demonstram que a utilização destes recursos apresenta resultados satisfatórios. Notadamente, evidenciando-se a vantagem da utilização do modelo de triagem informatizado (AU).

Introduction: In view of the virtual reality of bureaucratic procedures, it is necessary to devise screening programs in school clinics to refer patients to the clinic more compatible with their needs and replace physical with electronic records as an environmentally friendly alternative.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a computerized screening model, comparing it to the model currently used in the Dental Documentation and Screening Service of the Dentistry Department of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. Methodology: The descriptive study consisted of a sample of 50 patients who were submitted to the screening model currently used in the abovementioned service and the computerized screening model. The effectiveness of the device was evaluated and a comparison was made between the models. Statistical analysis was made using the intra-class correlation index and a database created in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0, adopting a significance of 95% (p < 0.05). Results: An intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.578 was obtained with the significance level of p < 0.05. There was a positive and significant satisfactory correlation between the software results and the current screening model.Conclusions: There was agreement between the studied models and the use of these resources yield satisfactory results. Therefore, the advantage of using the computerized screening model was confirmed (AU).

Introducción: Ante la realidad virtual de los trámites burocráticos, surge la necesidad de diseñar programas de cribado en las clínicas docentes con el objetivo de enviar a los pacientes a la clínica más compatible con sus necesidades, reemplazando los registros físicos y electrónicos en una alternativa ambientalmente correcta.Objetivo: Evaluar la efectividad de un modelo de cribado informatizado, comparándolo con el modelo utilizado actualmente en el Servicio de Cribado y Documentación Dental del Departamento de Odontología de la Universidad Federal de Rio Grande do Norte.Metodología: El estudio realizado fue de tipo descriptivo, constituido por una muestra de 50 pacientes que fueron sometidos al modelo de cribado actualmente utilizado en el dicho servicio y al cribado mediante programa informatizado. Se evaluó la efectividad del dispositivo y se realizó una comparación entre los modelos. El análisis estadístico se realizó mediante el índice de correlación intraclase, utilizando una base de datos creada en el software Statistical Package for Social Sciences, versión 20.0, adoptando un nivel de significación del 95% (p< 0,05).Resultados: Luego del análisis estadístico, con correlación entre los resultados del software y el modelo de cribadoactual, se obtuvo un coeficiente de correlación intraclase de 0.578, con nivel de significancia, para evaluación de los datos obtenidos de (P<0.05). Fue posible mostrar que hubo una correlación positiva y significativa satisfactoria entre los resultados del software y el modelo de cribado actual. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran concordancia entre los modelos de cribado estudiados y demuestran que el uso de estos recursos presenta resultados satisfactorios. En particular, demostrando la ventaja de usar el modelo de cribado computarizado (AU).

Validity of the peak velocity to detect physical training improvements in athymic mice.

This study comprises two complementary experiments with athymic Balb/c (Nu/Nu) mice. In experiment 1, the aim was to verify the reproducibility of the peak velocity (VPeak) determined from the incremental test. The second experiment aimed to assess the VPeak sensitivity to prescribe and detect modulations of the physical training in athymic nude mice. Sixteen mice were submitted to two incremental treadmill tests separated by 48-h (Experiment 1). The test consisted of an initial warm-up of 5 minutes. Subsequently, animals initiated the tests at 8 m min-1 with increments of 2 m min-1 every 3 minutes. The VPeak was determined as the highest velocity attained during the protocol. In experiment 2, these animals were randomly allocated to an exercise group (EG) or a control group (CG). The training protocol consisted of 30-min of treadmill running at 70% of the VPeak five times a week for 4 weeks. High indexes of reproducibility were obtained for VPeak (Test = 19.7 ± 3.6 m min-1; Retest = 19.2 ± 3.4 m min-1; p = 0.171; effect size = 0.142; r = 0.90). Animals from the EG had a significant increase of VPeak (Before = 18.4 ± 2.7 m min-1; After = 24.2 ± 6.0 m min-1; p = 0.023). Conversely, a significant decrease was observed for the CG (Before = 21.1 ± 3.9 m min-1; After = 15.9 ± 2.7 m min-1; p = 0.038). The VPeak is a valid parameter for exercise prescription in studies involving athymic nude mice.