O cuidado das enfermeiras no parto e no nascimento após a inserção do projeto Apice On / Cuidado de enfermería durante el parto y el nacimiento tras la implementación del proyecto Apice On / Nursing care during childbirth after the insertion of the Apice On Project

Objetivo: descrever os saberes e cuidados realizados pelas enfermeiras no campo do parto e do nascimento, a partir da inserção do projeto "Aprimoramento e Inovação no Cuidado e Ensino em Obstetrícia e Neonatologia" (Apice On). Materiais e método: estudo descritivo, com abordagem qualitativa, com aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 13 enfermeiras atuantes em uma maternidade de risco habitual na região metropolitana II do estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. As entrevistas foram transcritas e submetidas à análise de conteúdo na modalidade temática. Resultados: foram identificadas duas categorias temáticas: "Saberes do cotidiano da enfermeira no cuidado à mulher no processo do parto e do nascimento" e "Modo de cuidar da enfermeira à mulher no processo do parto e do nascimento após a inserção do Apice On". A sustentação de um cuidado contínuo, integral e embasado em evidências científicas valoriza a fisiologia da parturição, além de ser decisivo para as mudanças institucionais. Conclusões: as enfermeiras têm potencializado mudanças práticas no cotidiano da assistência na maternidade, influenciadas pelo compromisso de manter um cuidado centrado na mulher com aceno para as práticas interprofissionais.

Objetivo: describir los conocimientos y cuidados que practican los profesionales de enfermería durante el parto y el nacimiento tras la implementación del proyecto Perfeccionamiento e Innovación en el Cuidado y Enseñanza en Obstetricia y Neonatología (Apice On, en su sigla en portugués). Materiales y método: estudio descriptivo de abordaje cualitativo, con base en la aplicación de entrevistas semiestructuradas a 13 enfermeras que laboran en un área de maternidad de riesgo estándar en la II Región Metropolitana del Estado de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Estas entrevistas fueron transcritas y sometidas a análisis de contenido en la modalidad temática. Resultados: se identificaron dos categorías temáticas: "Conocimiento cotidiano del enfermero en el cuidado de la mujer en el trabajo de parto y el alumbramiento" y "Enfoque del cuidado del enfermero a la mujer en proceso de parto y alumbramiento tras la implementación de Apice On". Se observa que una atención continua, integral y basada en evidencia científicas valoriza la fisiología del parto, además de ser determinante para la adopción de cambios a nivel institucional. Conclusiones: los profesionales de enfermería han potencializado cambios prácticos en el cuidado diario de la maternidad, influenciados por el compromiso de mantener un cuidado centrado en la mujer y la adopción de prácticas interprofesionales.

Objective: To describe the knowledge and care practices applied by nursing professionals during labor and birth after the insertion of the project Enhancement and Innovation in Care and Teaching of Obstetric and Neonatology (Apice On, in Portuguese). Materials and method: Descriptive study with a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with 13 nurses working at maternity hospital of usual risk at the II metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, which were transcript and submitted to content analysis under thematic modality. Results: Two thematic categories were identified: "Common knowledge by nurses in labor and delivery care towards women" and "Nursing care towards women in the process of labor and delivery after the insertion of Apice On". Findings show that a continuous and comprehensive care based on scientific evidence values the physiology of childbirth, being also decisive for institutional changes. Conclusions: Nursing professionals have promoted practical changes in daily maternity care, influenced and compromised to sustaining a woman-centered approach in health care and the adoption of interprofessional practices.

Cannabidiol and Terpene Formulation Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity Tackling a Therapeutic Strategy.

In late 2019, COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China. Currently, it is an ongoing global health threat stressing the need for therapeutic compounds. Linking the virus life cycle and its interaction with cell receptors and internal cellular machinery is key to developing therapies based on the control of infectivity and inflammation. In this framework, we evaluate the combination of cannabidiol (CBD), as an anti-inflammatory molecule, and terpenes, by their anti-microbiological properties, in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Our group settled six formulations combining CBD and terpenes purified from Cannabis sativa L, Origanum vulgare, and Thymus mastichina. The formulations were analyzed by HPLC and GC-MS and evaluated for virucide and antiviral potential by in vitro studies in alveolar basal epithelial, colon, kidney, and keratinocyte human cell lines. Conclusions and Impact: We demonstrate the virucide effectiveness of CBD and terpene-based formulations. F2TC reduces the infectivity by 17%, 24%, and 99% for CaCo-2, HaCat, and A549, respectively, and F1TC by 43%, 37%, and 29% for Hek293T, HaCaT, and Caco-2, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first approach that tackles the combination of CBD with a specific group of terpenes against SARS-CoV-2 in different cell lines. The differential effectiveness of formulations according to the cell line can be relevant to understanding the pattern of virus infectivity and the host inflammation response, and lead to new therapeutic strategies.

Targeting Glutathione and Cystathionine ß-Synthase in Ovarian Cancer Treatment by Selenium-Chrysin Polyurea Dendrimer Nanoformulation.

Ovarian cancer is the main cause of death from gynecological cancer, with its poor prognosis mainly related to late diagnosis and chemoresistance (acquired or intrinsic) to conventional alkylating and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generating drugs. We and others reported that the availability of cysteine and glutathione (GSH) impacts the mechanisms of resistance to carboplatin in ovarian cancer. Different players in cysteine metabolism can be crucial in chemoresistance, such as the cystine/glutamate antiporter system Xc (xCT) and the H2S-synthesizing enzyme cystathionine ß-synthase (CBS) in the pathway of cysteine catabolism. We hypothesized that, by disrupting cysteine metabolic flux, chemoresistance would be reverted. Since the xCT transporter is also able to take up selenium, we used selenium-containing chrysin (SeChry) as a plausible competitive inhibitor of xCT. For that, we tested the effects of SeChry on three different ovarian cancer cell lines (ES2, OVCAR3, and OVCAR8) and in two non-malignant cell lines (HaCaT and HK2). Results showed that, in addition to being highly cytotoxic, SeChry does not affect the uptake of cysteine, although it increases GSH depletion, indicating that SeChry might induce oxidative stress. However, enzymatic assays revealed an inhibitory effect of SeChry toward CBS, thus preventing production of the antioxidant H2S. Notably, our data showed that SeChry and folate-targeted polyurea dendrimer generation four (SeChry@PUREG4-FA) nanoparticles increased the specificity for SeChry delivery to ovarian cancer cells, reducing significantly the toxicity against non-malignant cells. Collectively, our data support SeChry@PUREG4-FA nanoparticles as a targeted strategy to improve ovarian cancer treatment, where GSH depletion and CBS inhibition underlie SeChry cytotoxicity.

Chemotherapeutic Targets in Osteosarcoma: Insights from Synchrotron-MicroFTIR and Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering.

This study aimed at the development of improved drugs against human osteosarcoma, which is the most common primary bone tumor in children and teenagers with a low prognosis. New insights into the impact of an unconventional Pd(II) anticancer agent on human osteosarcoma cells were obtained by synchrotron radiation-Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) experiments from its effect on the cellular metabolism to its influence on intracellular water, which can be regarded as a potential secondary pharmacological target. Specific infrared biomarkers of drug action were identified, enabling a molecular-level description of variations in cellular biochemistry upon drug exposure. The main changes were detected in the protein and lipid cellular components, namely, in the ratio of unsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids. QENS revealed reduced water mobility within the cytoplasm for drug-treated cells, coupled to a disruption of the hydration layers of biomolecules. Additionally, the chemical and dynamical profiles of osteosarcoma cells were compared to those of metastatic breast cancer cells, revealing distinct dissimilarities that may influence drug activity.

Use of solid phase extraction for the sequential injection determination of alkaline phosphatase activity in dynamic water systems.

In this work, a solid phase extraction sequential injection methodology for the determination of alkaline phosphatase activity in dynamic water systems was developed. The determination of the enzymatic activity was based on the spectrophotometric detection of a coloured product, p-nitrophenol, at 405 nm. The p-nitrophenol is the product of the catalytic decomposition of p-nitrophenyl phosphate, a non-coloured substrate. Considering the low levels expected in natural waters and exploiting the fact of alkaline phosphatase being a metalloprotein, the enzyme was pre-concentrated in-line using a NTA Superflow resin charged with Zn(2+) ions. The developed sequential injection method enabled a quantification range of 0.044-0.441 unit mL(-1) of enzyme activity with a detection limit of 0.0082 unit mL(-1) enzyme activity (1.9 µmol L(-1) of pNP) and a determination rate of 17 h(-1). Recovery tests confirmed the accuracy of the developed sequential injection method and it was effectively applied to different natural waters and to plant root extracts.

Suplementos alimentares à base de plantas chinesas no mercado português / Chinese herbal food supplements in the portuguese market

Os fabricantes de suplementos alimentares recorren a plantas medicinais para a obtençao de beneficios na saúde. No entanto, algunas lacunas no sistema de monitorizaçao e fiscalizacao e, eventualmente, na legislaçao europeia em vigor, acabam por tornar possível a existencia de suplementos alimentares no mercado que nao apresentam valores nutricionais, nao tem rotulagem completamente esclarecedora ou, podem, inclusivamente, conter plantas/moléculas potencialemtne perigosas para a saude. Neste trabalho, estuda-se uma amostra de 71 suplementos recolhidos aleatoriamente no mercado em Lisboa e analisa-se a informaçao constate da sua rotulagem, procurando responde a um conjunto de questoes com impacto potencial na saude dos consumidores. Da amostra 50,7por ciento (36/71) tem nomes chineses da Medicina Tradicional Chinesa (MTC) e 49,3por ciento (35/71) tem denominaçao occidental. A percentagem de suplementos tendo entre 0 e 4 plantas ou partes de plantas como ingredientes é de 9,9 por ciento entre 5 e 9 é de 35,2por ciento, entre parte de planta mais frequente (ca.64por ciento) nos MTC é raíz de Glycyrrhiza uralensis, que pode tener efeitos sinérgicos com corticosteróides e digoxina, e pode causar hipertensao, edema, transtornos cardíacos, e potenciar o efeito de tiazidas e diuréticos. O ingrediente de frequencia maior (43-46por ciento) común a todos os suplementos é a raíz de Angelica sinensis, que pode provocar hemorragias se tomado com inibidores da agregaçao plaquetária (AU)

Manufactures of food supplements rely on medicinalplants to achieve health benefits. However, some gaps in the system of monitoring and enforcement, nd eventually in the current European legislation, end up making possible the existence of dietary supplements on the market that have no nutritional value, do not have quite enlightening information on labeling, and they may even contain plants or molecules potentially hazardous to health. In this paper, we study a sample of 71 randomly collected supplements in Lisbon area market and analyze the information contained in its labeling, trying to answer a set of questions with potential impact on consumer health. Of the sample, 50,7por ciento (36/71) have Chinese names (TCM)and 49,3 por ciento (35/71) have western names. The percentages of supplements having between 0 and 4 plants or parts of plants as ingredients is 9,9 por ciento, between 5 and 9 is 35,2por ciento, between 10 and 14 is 32,4 por ciento and 22,5 por ciento have 15 or more ingredients. The plant/plant part more frequent (ca. 64 por ciento) in TCM is the root of Glycyrrhia uralensis, which may have synergistic effects with digoxin and corticosteroids, and can cause hypertension, edema, cardiac disorders, and potentiate the effect of diuretics and thiazides. The higher frequency ingredient (43%-46 por ciento) common to all supplements is the root of Angelica sinensis, which may cause bleeding if taken with platelet aggregation inhibitors (AU)

O cuidado materno no manejo da asma infantil: contribuição da enfermagem transcultural / Maternal care in the management of child asthma: the contributions of transcultural nursing / El cuidado materno en el manejo del asma infantil: contribución de enfermería transcultural

O objeto deste estudo são as práticas culturais do cuidado materno no manejo da asma infantil. Objetivos: descrever oconhecimento e o cuidado materno sobre a asma infantil e analisar o cuidado materno no manejo da asma infantil. Estudodescritivo-exploratório desenvolvido a partir de questionários e entrevistas com mães de crianças com asma, no período desetembro de 2008 janeiro de 2009. Após análise temática dos dados, emergiram três categorias: 1) Conceito e manejo da asmana visão das mães cuidadoras; 2) Asma como sofrimento e risco para a vida dos filhos; 3) Plantas medicinais, simpatias ereligiosidade no cuidado do filho com asma. Concluiu-se que é importante respeitarmos a cultura das mães cuidadoras dascrianças com asma, para que seus valores possam ser preservados, acomodados e reestruturados junto ao cuidado profissional.