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BACKGROUND: Although a significant number of cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) are managed at non-referral community hospitals, the impact of a bundle-of-care intervention in this setting has not yet been explored. METHODS: We performed a quasi-experimental before-after study with the implementation of a bundle of care for the management of SAB at five non-referral community hospitals and a tertiary care university hospital. Structured recommendations for the five indicators selected to assess quality of care were provided to investigators before the implementation of the bundle and monthly thereafter. Primary endpoints were adherence to the bundle intervention and treatment failure, defined as death or relapse at 90â days of follow-up. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy patients were included in the pre-intervention period and 103 in the intervention period. Patient characteristics were similar in both periods. Multivariate analysis controlling for potential confounders showed that performance of echocardiography was the only factor associated with improved adherence to the bundle in the intervention period (adjusted OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.13-4.02). Adherence to the bundle, performance of follow-up blood cultures, and adequate duration of antibiotic therapy for complicated SAB presented non-significant improvements. The intervention was not associated with a lower rate of 90â day treatment failure (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.70-1.77). CONCLUSIONS: A bundle-of-care intervention for the management of SAB at non-referral community hospitals increased adherence to quality indicators, but did not significantly reduce rates of 90â day mortality or relapse.
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The growing concern arising from viruses with pandemic potential and multi-resistant bacteria responsible for hospital-acquired infections and outbreaks of food poisoning has led to an increased awareness of indirect contact transmission. This has resulted in a renewed interest to confer antimicrobial properties to commonly used metallic materials. The present work provides a full characterization of optimized fluoride anodic films grown in stainless steel 304L as well as their antimicrobial properties. Antibacterial tests show that the anodic film, composed mainly of chromium and iron fluorides, reduces the count and the percentage of the area covered by 50% and 87.7% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, respectively. Virologic tests show that the same treatment reduces the infectivity of the coronavirus HCoV-229E-GFP, in comparison with the non-anodized stainless steel 304L.IMPORTANCEThe importance of environmental surfaces as a source of infection is a topic of particular interest today, as many microorganisms can survive on these surfaces and infect humans through direct contact. Modification of these surfaces by anodizing has been shown to be useful for some alloys of medical interest. This work evaluates the effect of anodizing on stainless steel, a metal widely used in a variety of applications. According to the study, the fluoride anodic layers reduce the colonization of the surfaces by both bacteria and viruses, thus reducing the risk of acquiring infections from these sources.
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Anti-Infecciosos , Fluoretos , Humanos , Fluoretos/farmacologia , Aço Inoxidável , Fômites , Bactérias , Anti-Infecciosos/farmacologiaRESUMO
Anxiety and depressive symptoms may influence cortisol trajectories in women and men during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Using a multilevel approach, anxiety and depressive symptoms effects on 24-hour urinary free cortisol trajectories from the 2nd trimester to 3-months postpartum were examined in a sample of 66 women and 65 men with no known psychosocial or medical risk (N = 131; 33 (50%) of them were couples that participated in the same assessment waves). Results showed that both anxiety and depressive symptoms influence women's and men's cortisol trajectories from mid-pregnancy to 3-months postpartum. Women with high depressive symptoms and men with high anxiety or high depressive symptoms exhibited less accentuated variations in the 24-hour urinary free cortisol trajectories compared with women with low depressive symptoms and men with low anxiety or depressive symptoms, respectively. These effects were significant for women's cortisol trajectories from the 2nd to the 3rd pregnancy trimester and for men's cortisol trajectories throughout the entire period. The effect of anxiety and depressive symptoms on HPA axis functioning and cortisol production during pregnancy and postpartum, seems to be sex-specific. Reproductive-related alterations (associated with gestation, parturition and lactation) in women's HPA axis functioning may explain these sex-specific effects.
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Depressão Pós-Parto , Complicações na Gravidez , Ansiedade , Depressão , Depressão Pós-Parto/diagnóstico , Feminino , Humanos , Hidrocortisona , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisário , Masculino , Sistema Hipófise-Suprarrenal , Período Pós-Parto , GravidezRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: While numerous medical facilities have been forced to suspend oncological surgery due to system overload, debate has emerged on using non-surgical options on cancer cases during the pandemic. The goal of our study was to analyze, in a retrospective cohort study, the results of gynecological cancer surgery and evaluate postoperative complications in a single center in one of the most affected areas in Europe. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of patients who were referred between March 2020 and May 2020 for primary surgical treatment of breast, endometrial, ovarian, cervical, or vulvar cancer. RESULTS: The study included a total of 126 patients. Median age was 60 years (range 29-89). Patients were referred with breast (76/126, 60.3%), endometrial (29/126, 23%), ovarian (14/126, 11.1%), cervical (5/126, 4%), or vulvar cancer (2/126, 1.6%). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) was only conducted in 50% of cases due to the low availability of tests during the first phase of our study, and was indicated only in suspected cases according to the healthcare authorities' protocol. Median hospital stay was 1 day (range 0-18). Excluding breast surgery, laparoscopy was the most used procedure (43/126, 34.1%). 15 patients had a postoperative complication (15/126, 11.9%); only in 2 patients (2/15 13.3%) were there reports of Clavien-Dindo grade 3 or 4 complications. 6 patients tested positive for COVID-19 following a PCR diagnostic test, and these surgeries were cancelled. CONCLUSIONS: Adequate protective measures in the setting of COVID-19 free institutions enabled the continuity of cancer surgery without significant compromise of the safety of patients or healthcare workers.
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Betacoronavirus , Infecções por Coronavirus/prevenção & controle , Neoplasias dos Genitais Femininos/cirurgia , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos em Ginecologia , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Pneumonia Viral/prevenção & controle , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , COVID-19 , Infecções por Coronavirus/complicações , Infecções por Coronavirus/diagnóstico , Feminino , Seguimentos , Neoplasias dos Genitais Femininos/complicações , Humanos , Controle de Infecções/métodos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Pneumonia Viral/complicações , Pneumonia Viral/diagnóstico , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/epidemiologia , Estudos Retrospectivos , SARS-CoV-2 , Espanha , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Recent literature shows that many testing procedures used to evaluate asset pricing models result in spurious rejection probabilities. Model misspecification, the strong factor structure of test assets, or skewed test statistics largely explain this. In this paper we use the relative entropy of pricing kernels to provide an alternative framework for testing asset pricing models. Building on the fact that the law of one price guarantees the existence of a valid pricing kernel, we study the relationship between the mean-variance efficiency of a model's factor-mimicking portfolio, as measured by the cross-sectional generalized least squares (GLS) R 2 statistic, and the relative entropy of the pricing kernel, as determined by the Kullback-Leibler divergence. In this regard, we suggest an entropy-based decomposition that accurately captures the divergence between the factor-mimicking portfolio and the minimum-variance pricing kernel resulting from the Hansen-Jagannathan bound. Our results show that, although GLS R 2 statistics and relative entropy are strongly correlated, the relative entropy approach allows us to explicitly decompose the explanatory power of the model into two components, namely, the relative entropy of the pricing kernel and that corresponding to its correlation with asset returns. This makes the relative entropy a versatile tool for designing robust tests in asset pricing.
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Joint prosthesis failure is mainly related to aseptic loosening and prosthetic joint infections, both of which are associated with high morbidity and substantial costs for patients and health systems. The development of a biomaterial that is capable of stimulating bone growth while minimizing bacterial adhesion would reduce the incidence of prosthetic failure. We report antibacterial and osteostimulatory effects in a novel fluorine-phosphorus (F-P)-doped TiO2 oxide film grown on Ti-6Al-4V alloy with a nanostructure of bottle-shaped nanotubes (bNT) using five bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia) and MCT3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells. The interaction between the bacteria and bNT Ti-6Al-4V was complex, as the adhesion of four bacterial species decreased (two staphylococcus species, E. coli, and S. maltophilia), and the viability of staphylococci and S. maltophilia also decreased because of the aluminum (Al) released by bNT Ti-6Al-4V. This released Al can be recruited by the bacteria through siderophores and was retained only by the Gram-negative bacteria tested. P. aeruginosa showed higher adhesion on bNT Ti-6Al-4V than on chemically polished (CP) samples of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and an ability to mobilize Al from bNT Ti-6Al-4V. The cell adhesion and proliferation of MCT3T3-E1 osteoblastic cells significantly increased at 48 and 168 h, as did the matrix mineralization of these cells and the gene expression levels of three of the most important markers related to bone differentiation. According to our results, the bNT Ti-6Al-4V alloy could have clinical application, preventing infection and stimulating bone growth and thus preventing the two main causes of joint prosthesis failure.IMPORTANCE This work evaluates F-P-doped bNT Ti-6Al-4V from microbiological and cellular approaches. The bacterial results highlight that the antibacterial ability of bNT Ti-6Al-4V is the result of a combination of antiadhesive and bactericidal effects exerted by Al released from the alloy. The cell results highlight that F-P bNT Ti-6Al-4V alloy increases osseointegration due to modification of the chemical composition of the alloy resulting from P incorporation and not due to the nanostructure, as reported previously. A key finding was the detection of Al release from inside the bNT Ti-6Al-4V nanostructures, a result of the nanostructure growth during the anodizing process that is in part responsible for its bactericidal effect.
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Antibacterianos/administração & dosagem , Bactérias/efeitos dos fármacos , Aderência Bacteriana/efeitos dos fármacos , Materiais Biocompatíveis/farmacologia , Osteogênese/efeitos dos fármacos , Infecções Relacionadas à Prótese/prevenção & controle , Titânio/farmacologia , Ligas , Antibacterianos/química , Bactérias/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Flúor/química , Teste de Materiais , Nanoestruturas/química , Procedimentos Ortopédicos/métodos , Fósforo/química , Titânio/químicaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short and medium term effectiveness of a Primary Care-driven oral health promotion intervention. DESIGN: A non-randomised community intervention trial. SETTING: Three socio-demographically similar primary schools of a deprived neighborhood in Granada, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-two intervention and 109 control students aged 5 to 6, as well as the teachers and the parent's association of the intervention school (IS) participated in the study. INTERVENTION: School-based health promotion activities aimed at students, and regular meetings with the teachers and parents of the IS during 2 consecutive years. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Students' oral health-related knowledge and behavior, assessed via questionnaires distributed before the intervention, and 6 and 18 months afterwards. RESULTS: Compared to the control groups at 18 months, students belonging to the IS reported enhanced oral health knowledge (OR 3.54; 95% CI 1.46-8.58), and an increased consumption of healthy food at breakfast (OR 2.95; 95% CI 1.26-6.89) and during mid-afternoon snack (OR 3.67; 95% CI 1.49-9.05). A significant decrease was seen in the intake of pastries (OR 4.05; 95% CI 1.68-9.81) and sweetened soft drinks and juices (OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.57-9.12) amongst intervention compared to control students in the medium term (18 months). No significant improvements were observed concerning oral hygiene in the IS. CONCLUSIONS: School-based educational interventions, when developed through an intersectoral and participative approach and considering the socio-economic context, appear to be effective in improving students' diet-related knowledge and behaviors.
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Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Saúde Bucal/educação , Higiene Bucal/educação , Atenção Primária à Saúde , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Dieta Saudável , Humanos , Áreas de Pobreza , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Serviços de Saúde Escolar , EspanhaRESUMO
We aimed to evaluate the release of two antibiotics: gentamicin and vancomycin loaded into F-doped nanotubular anodic oxide layers, as well as their bactericide effect. F-doped nanotubular oxide layers fabricated on Ti-6Al-4V loaded with gentamicin (Gm), vancomycin (Vm) and their mixture (Gm + Vm) by a previously described loading method. Antibiotic release was studied by RP-HPLC and by a biological method. Bactericidal activity was evaluated by a bacterial adherence protocol described previously using on three clinically important bacterial species. The antibiotic release steady up to 120 and 180 min for Gm and Vm, respectively, and despite the antibiotic concentration decreased, their biological activity was maintained over time. The number of living bacteria of three species tested on NT-Gm specimens was significantly lower than on NT specimens without antibiotics (P < 0.01). There are significant differences among NT-Gm and NT-Gm + Vm specimens (P < 0.05) for S. aureus 15981, S. epidermidis ATCC 35984, and P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and no differences between NT-Vm and NT-Gm + Vm for staphylococci (P > 0.05). In conclusion, this Gm + Vm loading method added to the properties of F-doped nanotubular oxide layers fabricated on Ti-6Al-4V, and therefore surfaces with antibacterial, biocompatible, tissue integration stimulating and spread-spectrum bactericidal properties can be obtained.
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Antibacterianos/administração & dosagem , Sistemas de Liberação de Medicamentos , Gentamicinas/administração & dosagem , Nanotubos/química , Infecções Relacionadas à Prótese/prevenção & controle , Vancomicina/administração & dosagem , Ligas , Artroplastia , Aderência Bacteriana , Materiais Biocompatíveis , Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão , Difusão , Humanos , Modelos Moleculares , Óxidos/química , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis , Eletricidade Estática , Titânio/químicaRESUMO
Orthopaedic device-related infections are closely linked to biofilm formation on the surfaces of these devices. Several modified titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) surfaces doped with fluorine were studied in order to evaluate the influence of these modifications on biofilm formation by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as a yeast. The biofilm studies were performed according to the standard test method approved by ASTM (Designation: E2196-12) using the Rotating Disk Reactor. Four types of Ti-6Al-4V samples were tested; chemically polished (CP), two types of nanostructures containing fluorine, nanoporous (NP) and nanotubular (NT), and non-nanostructured fluorine containing samples (fluoride barrier layers, FBL). Different species of Gram-positive cocci, (Staphylococcus aureus and epidermidis), Gram-negative rods (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and a yeast (Candida albicans) were studied. For one of the Gram-positive (S. epidermidis) and one of the Gram-negative (E. coli) species a statistically-significant decrease in biofilm accumulation for NP and NT samples was found when compared with the biofilm accumulation on CP samples. The results suggest an effect of the modified materials on the biofilm formation.
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Biofilmes/efeitos dos fármacos , Flúor/química , Titânio/química , Ligas/química , Antibacterianos/química , Candida albicans , Escherichia coli , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Nanoestruturas/química , Nanotubos/química , Ortopedia , Porosidade , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidisRESUMO
The first examples of the direct functionalization of non-activated aryl sp(2) C-H bonds with ethyl diazoacetate (N2 CHCO2 Et) catalyzed by Mn- or Fe-based complexes in a completely selective manner are reported, with no formation of the frequently observed cycloheptatriene derivatives through competing Buchner reaction. The best catalysts are Fe(II) or Mn(II) complexes bearing the tetradentate pytacn ligand (pytacn= 1-(2-pyridylmethyl)-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane). When using alkylbenzenes, the alkylic C(sp(3) )-H bonds of the substituents remained unmodified, thus the reaction being also selective toward functionalization of sp(2) C-H bonds.
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OBJECTIVES: The Xq28 region, containing IRAK and MECP2, represent a common susceptibility locus for a high number of autoimmune diseases. Our aim in the present study was to evaluate the influence of the IRAK1 and MECP2 autoimmunity-associated genetic variants in the giant cell arteritis (GCA) susceptibility and its clinical subphenotypes. METHODS: We analysed a total of 627 female biopsy-proven GCA patients and 1,520 female healthy controls of Spanish Caucasian origin. Two polymorphisms, rs1059702 and rs17345, located at IRAK1 and MECP2, respectively, were genotyped using TaqMan® allelic discrimination assays. RESULTS: No association with any of the analysed polymorphisms was evident when genotype and allele frequencies were compared between GCA patients and controls (rs1059702: allelic p-value=0.699, OR=0.96, CI 95% 0.80-1.17; rs17435: allelic p-value=0.994, OR=1.00, CI 95% 0.84-1.19). Likewise, the subphenotype analysis yield similar negative results. CONCLUSIONS: We have assessed for the first time the possible role of IRAK1 and MECP2 autoimmune disease-associated polymorphisms in GCA. Our data suggest that IRAK1 rs1059702 and MECP2 rs17435 genetic variants do not play a significant role in GCA susceptibility or severity.
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Artérias/patologia , Autoimunidade/genética , Arterite de Células Gigantes , Quinases Associadas a Receptores de Interleucina-1/genética , Proteína 2 de Ligação a Metil-CpG/genética , Idoso , Biópsia , Feminino , Frequência do Gene , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Arterite de Células Gigantes/epidemiologia , Arterite de Células Gigantes/genética , Arterite de Células Gigantes/patologia , Humanos , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único , Espanha/epidemiologia , População Branca/genéticaRESUMO
There are many studies in Psychology and other sciences about the concept of power. We believe that individual power is one of the most critical factors in human motivation, which is considered by prominent motivation theories, like Choice Theory or McClelland's Human Motivation Theory. This paper aims to study the concept of power, considering ego and social orientation. The extensive literature review allowed us to describe the concepts related to those orientations and to induce a theoretical model that may typify and explain the relationships between the two perspectives of power. The model might contribute to describing four motivational profiles, namely the imperator, with high ego-power and power over others orientation; the supporter, with low ego-power and power with other orientation; the leader, with high ego-power and power with others orientation; and the controller, with low ego-power and power over others orientation. The Ego-Social Power Motivation Model could help describe the power signature of an individual. This individual picture might help psychologists work on motivations, attitudes, and behaviours to enhance people's lives and well-being.
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Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are two of the most used non-pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, most of the clinical trials have focused on evaluating the effects on global cognition and not on specific cognitive functions. Therefore, considering that memory loss is one of the hallmark symptoms of AD, we aim to assess the efficacy and safety of tDCS and rTMS in memory deficits. For that, multilevel random effect models were performed considering the standardized mean difference (SMD) between active and sham stimulation. A total of 19 studies with 411 participants demonstrated positive effects in memory after tDCS (SMD=0.20, p = 0.04) and rTMS (SMD=0.44, p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that tDCS had greater efficacy when administered in temporal regions (SMD=0.32, p = 0.04), whereas rTMS was superior when applied in frontal regions (SMD=0.61, p < 0.001). Therefore, depending on the brain region of stimulation, both interventions produced a positive effect on memory symptoms in AD patients. Finally, the safety of both techniques was observed in the AD population after the reporting of almost no serious events.
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BACKGROUND: Approximately 10 to 20% of pregnant women worldwide experience perinatal depression (PND), a depressive episode with onset during pregnancy or after childbirth. We performed a systematic review to identify, summarize and discuss studies on inflammatory biomarkers described in relation to PND. METHOD: Inclusion criteria defined the selection of observational studies written in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, that evaluate analytical levels of inflammatory molecules (protein levels) in biological fluids in women, with a diagnosis of depression using ICD/DSM diagnostic criteria or depressive symptoms assessed by standardized psychometric instruments, during pregnancy and/or postpartum. Case reports, experimental studies, reviews, qualitative analysis, meta-analysis, gray literature or replicated data were excluded. Three electronic databases were used for search (Pubmed, Web of Science and PsychInfo) and quality assessment of selected studies were performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data extraction included study design; number of subjects; obstetric information; tools and timepoints of depression and inflammatory markers assessment. RESULTS: 56 studies (sample size for cross-sectional and case-control studies ranging from 10 to 469; sample size for longitudinal studies ranging from 26 to 467), where the major aim was to analyze the association between depression and inflammatory biomarkers during pregnancy and postpartum period were included in this systematic review. Overall, the findings of our systematic review lend support to the hypothesis that several inflammatory markers may be associated with peripartum depressive symptoms. The associations were somewhat different looking at pregnancy compared to the delivery time-point and postpartum, and mainly referred to increased levels of IL-6, IL-8, CRP and TNF-α among depressed. DISCUSSION: In summary, our systematic review findings provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that several inflammatory markers may correlate with peripartum depressive symptoms. However, our work also highlighted notable differences in the timing of biological sampling for inflammatory markers and in the methodologies used to assess depression during the perinatal period. Additionally, variations were observed in how inflammatory biomarkers and depression were approached, including their classification as exposure or outcome variables, and the timing of assessments. It is essential for future research to investigate the influence of biological fluids and the timing of assessments for both inflammatory biomarkers and depression to gain a deeper understanding of their association. This comprehensive exploration is pivotal for elucidating the intricate relationship between inflammation and perinatal depression.
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Biomarcadores , Humanos , Feminino , Gravidez , Biomarcadores/sangue , Complicações na Gravidez/psicologia , Complicações na Gravidez/diagnóstico , Depressão/diagnóstico , Depressão/sangue , Inflamação , Depressão Pós-Parto/sangue , Depressão Pós-Parto/diagnósticoRESUMO
Meaning-centered psychotherapy (MCP) has been found to be effective in improving meaning in life and increasing fulfillment in participants with cancer. However, to date, no previous studies have compared MCP with evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The aim of this study was to analyze the differential efficacy of MCP, compared to CBT, in participants with cancer. The study is a randomized controlled trial with 76 participants, nâ¯=â¯41 (MCP) and nâ¯=â¯35 (CBT). At posttreatment, the MCP intervention for cancer survivors was more effective than CBT in increasing the presence of meaning in life, purpose and meaning in life, and life goals. Moreover, our results showed that, at posttreatment and the 6-month follow-up, MCP and CBT were similarly effective in improving depression and developing posttraumatic growth. This study suggests that MCP could be more effective than CBT in improving meaning in life, purpose, and life goals, and equally effective as CBT in improving depression and posttraumatic growth, in cancer survivors.
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Sobreviventes de Câncer , Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental , Depressão , Humanos , Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamental/métodos , Sobreviventes de Câncer/psicologia , Feminino , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto , Depressão/terapia , Depressão/psicologia , Psicoterapia/métodos , Resultado do Tratamento , Crescimento Psicológico Pós-Traumático , Idoso , Neoplasias/terapia , Neoplasias/psicologiaRESUMO
Objective: To describe severe infection, foci of infection, microorganisms, associated factors, and impact on mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). Patients and methods: The study was based on a multicenter prospective cohort of patients with RA-ILD followed up from 2015 to 2023. The main outcome measures were incident severe infection and fatal infection. We evaluated infectious foci, etiologic agents, vaccination status, variables associated with lung function, and clinical-therapeutic variables in RA. The incidence rate (IR) for infection and mortality was calculated per 100 person-years, and 3 multivariate models were constructed to explore factors associated with infection. Results: We followed up 148 patients with RA-ILD for a median 56.7 months (699.3 person-years). During this period, 142 patients (96%) had at least 1 infection. A total of 368 infectious episodes were recorded, with an IR of 52.6 per 100 person-years. Of the 48 patients who died, 65% did so from infection. Respiratory infections were the most common first infection (74%), infection overall (74%), and fatal infection (80%) and were caused mostly by SARS CoV-2, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and influenza A virus. The factors associated with an increased risk of infection and death in patients with RA-ILD were age, inflammatory activity, and therapy with corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. Conclusion: Patients with RA-ILD have a high risk of serious infection, especially respiratory infection. Infection develops early, is recurrent, and is frequently fatal. The presence of associated factors such as advanced age, joint inflammation, and treatment highlight the importance of integrated and preventive medical care.
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Artrite Reumatoide , Doenças Pulmonares Intersticiais , Humanos , Estudos Prospectivos , Artrite Reumatoide/complicações , Artrite Reumatoide/epidemiologia , Artrite Reumatoide/tratamento farmacológico , Doenças Pulmonares Intersticiais/etiologia , Doenças Pulmonares Intersticiais/complicações , IncidênciaRESUMO
The dehydrogenation of n-hexane and cycloalkanes giving n-hexene and cycloalkenes has been observed in the reaction of such hydrocarbons with hydrogen peroxide, in the presence of copper complexes bearing trispyrazolylborate ligands. This catalytic transformation provides the typical oxidation products (alcohol and ketones) with small amounts of the alkenes, a novel feature in this kind of oxidative processes. Experimental data exclude the participation of hydroxyl radicals derived from Fenton-like reaction mechanisms. DFT studies support a copper-oxo active species, which initiates the reaction by H abstraction. Spin crossover from the triplet to the singlet state, which is required to recover the catalyst, yields the major hydroxylation and minor dehydrogenation products. Further calculations suggested that the superoxo and hydroperoxo species are less reactive than the oxo. A complete mechanistic proposal in agreement with all experimental and computational data is proposed.
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Álcoois/síntese química , Alcanos/química , Alcenos/síntese química , Cobre/química , Cetonas/síntese química , Álcoois/química , Alcenos/química , Catálise , Hidrogenação , Cetonas/química , Estrutura Molecular , Oxirredução , Teoria QuânticaRESUMO
This work presents a comparative study related to the photocatalytic efficiency associated with wettability measurements and organic dye degradation, as well as other relevant properties (i.e., corrosion resistance, roughness, wettability, and adhesion to a substrate). The photocatalytic precursors are titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) which are dispersed onto a polymeric electrospun fiber matrix by using three different deposition techniques such as electrospraying, spraying, and dip-coating, respectively. In this work, the host electrospun matrix is composed of poly(acrylic acid) fibers crosslinked with cyclodextrin (ß-CD), which shows a good chemical affinity and stability with the other deposition techniques which are responsible for incorporating the TiO2 NPs. In order to evaluate the efficacy of each coating, the resultant photocatalytic activity has been monitored by two different tests. Firstly, the reduction in the water contact angle is appreciated, and secondly, the degradation of an organic dye (Rhodamine B) is observed under UV irradiation. In addition, the final roughness, adherence, and pitting corrosion potential have also been controlled in order to determine which solution provides the best combination of properties. Finally, the experimental results clearly indicate that the presence of TiO2 NPs deposited by the three techniques is enough to induce a super hydrophilic behavior after UV irradiation. However, there are notable differences in photocatalytic efficiency on the Rhodamine B as a function of the selected deposition technique.
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BACKGROUND: The prevalence of perinatal depression increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may be due to changes in the profile of specific depressive symptoms. AIMS: To analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the (1) prevalence and severity of specific depressive symptoms; and on the (2) prevalence of clinically significant symptoms of depression during pregnancy and postpartum. METHODS: Pregnant and postpartum women recruited before (n = 2395) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 1396) completed a sociodemographic and obstetric questionnaire and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). For each item, scores ≥1 and ≥ 2 were used to calculate the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence and severity of symptoms of depression were significantly higher during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prevalence of specific symptoms increased by >30%, namely "being able to laugh and see the funny side of things" (pregnancy 32.6%, postpartum 40.6%), "looking forward with enjoyment to things" (pregnancy 37.2%, postpartum 47.2%); and "feelings of sadness/miserable" or "unhappiness leading to crying" during postpartum (34.2% and 30.2%, respectively). A substantial increase was observed in the severity of specific symptoms related to feelings that "things have been getting on top of me" during pregnancy and the postpartum period (19.4% and 31.6%, respectively); "feeling sad or miserable" during pregnancy (10.8%); and "feeling scared/panicky" during postpartum (21.4%). CONCLUSION: Special attention should be paid to anhedonia-related symptoms of perinatal depression to ensure that they are adequately managed in present and future situations of crisis.
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COVID-19 , Depressão Pós-Parto , Gravidez , Feminino , Humanos , Depressão Pós-Parto/epidemiologia , Depressão/epidemiologia , Anedonia , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Pandemias , Período Pós-PartoRESUMO
Prosthetic joint infection is an uncommon entity, but it supposes high costs, both from the economic side to the health systems and from the emotional side of the patient. The evaluation of the bacterial adherence to different materials frequently involved in joint prostheses allows us to better understand the mechanisms underlying this and provide information for the future development of prevention strategies. This study evaluated the bacterial adherence of four different species (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) on Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo. The topography, surface contact angles, and linear average roughness were measured in the samples from both alloys. The interaction with the surface of both alloys was significantly different, with the CoCrMo showing an aggregating effect on all the species, with additional anti-adherent activity in the case of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The viability also changes, with a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the CoCrMo alloy. In the case of S. epidermidis, the viability in the supernatant from the samples was different, too, with a decrease in the colony-forming units in the Ti6Al4V, which could be related to cation release from the surface. Beyond adhesion is a multifactorial and complex process, and considering that topography and wettability were similar, the chemical composition could play a main role in the different properties observed.