A digital study on predictive factors for Instagram users' engagement with amber necklace-related posts.

AIM: This study aimed to assess the engagement of Instagram users with Brazilian Portuguese posts related to amber necklaces for teething symptoms relief, identifying predictive factors that can increase users' engagement with information and misinformation. METHODS: This digital study analysed Brazilian Portuguese amber necklace-related posts on Instagram. The posts were collected using specific search strategies on CrowdTangleTM. Subsequently, two independent investigators were trained and calibrated to categorise the posts concerning the proposed outcomes. The posts were categorised according to their facticity (information or misinformation), type of media (album/photo or video/Instagram TV), sentiment (positive, neutral, or negative), author's occupation (dentist or non-dentist), and type of profile (commercial or personal). Additionally, investigators compiled information about the time of publication (days) and interaction metrics (total interaction and overperforming score). The statistical analysis assessed the inter-examiner reliability, group comparisons, and the factors associated with interaction and misinformation. P values <0.05 were considered significant. CONCLUSION: Videos and personal profiles were predictive factors for higher user engagement with amber necklace posts on teething symptoms relief on Instagram, even with the warnings of health organisations and the lack of scientific evidence to confirm its efficacy.

Increase in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. colonization among pregnant individuals during COVID-19 pandemic.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) has been associated with neonatal infections, with colonization of the anovaginal tract being the main source of vertical transmission. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the frequency of antibiotic usage, potentially contributing to changes in the dynamics of bacterial agents colonizing humans. Here we determined MRS colonization rates among pregnant individuals attending a single maternity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before (January 2019-March 2020) and during (May 2020-March 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Anovaginal samples (n = 806 [521 samples before and 285 during the pandemic]) were streaked onto chromogenic media. Colonies were identified by MALDI-TOF MS. Detection of mecA gene and SCCmec typing were assessed by PCR and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done according to CLSI guidelines. After the onset of the pandemic, MRS colonization rates increased significantly (p < 0.05) from 8.6% (45) to 54.7% (156). Overall, 215 (26.6%) MRS isolates were detected, of which S. haemolyticus was the most prevalent species (MRSH, 84.2%; 181 isolates). SCCmec type V was the most frequent among MRS (63.3%; 136), and 31.6% (68) of MRS strains had a non-typeable SCCmec, due to new combinations of ccr and mecA complexes. Among MRS strains, 41.9% (90) were resistant to at least 3 different classes of antimicrobial agents, and 60% (54) of them were S. haemolyticus harboring SCCmec V. MRS colonization rates and the emergence of multidrug-resistant variants detected in this study indicate the need for continuing surveillance of this important pathogen within maternal and child populations.

Magnetic field effects on the surfactant concentration over ferrofluid droplet surfaces in shear flows.

We investigate the impact of a magnetic field on surfactant concentration and interfacial forces across droplet surfaces within shear flows. Our analysis centers on a single two-dimensional ferrofluid droplet covered with surfactants, suspended in an immiscible, non-magnetizable liquid. The model combines incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and Maxwell's equations in the superparamagnetic limit in the single-fluid formulation, augmented by terms accounting for Marangoni, capillary, and magnetic forces at the droplet interface. We solve the surfactant convection-diffusion equation at the surface, while a non-linear Langmuir equation of state relates surfactant concentration to surface tension. The model is numerically solved using finite differences, a level-set method for multiphase flow computation, and the closest-point method for concentration equation. Our findings reveal that even though the surfactant is magnetically neutral, the presence of a magnetic field significantly modifies its distribution at the interface. A magnetic field perpendicular to the primary flow direction shifts the maximum concentration zone from the droplet tips toward the flow vorticity direction, while a parallel field produces the opposite effect. Alterations in surfactant distribution directly impact the surface tension field, offering a potential wireless means of controlling droplet dynamics.

An interdisciplinary therapy for lifestyle change is effective in improving psychological and inflammatory parameters in women with grade I obesity.

Obesity and depression, disorders associated with inflammation, have high incidences in women. Understanding the derangements present in the initial phase of obesity may point to factors that could help avoiding disease aggravation. The present study aimed at investigating the effects of a 6-months interdisciplinary therapy for weight loss in women with grade I obesity. Before and after the therapy, 37 middle-aged women donated blood and responded to questionnaires for depression and anxiety symptoms. Inflammatory parameters were evaluated in serum and a preliminary screening of the plasma proteome was performed. The therapy decreased anthropometric, psychological scores, and serum levels of inflammatory parameters. Depression and anxiety scores correlated positively with some inflammatory parameters. The proteomic analysis showed changes in proteins related to cholesterol metabolism and inflammatory response. Interdisciplinary therapy improves anthropometric and inflammatory statuses and ameliorating psychological symptoms. The decrease of MCP-1 levels after interdisciplinary therapy has not been reported so far, at the best of our knowledge. The present demonstration of positive associations of inflammatory markers and psychological scores indicate that these mediators may be useful to monitor psychological status in obesity. The present proteome data, although preliminary, pointed to plasma alterations indicative of improvement of inflammation after interdisciplinary therapy.

A Stereophotogrammetry Face Study Between Dentate and Edentulous Adults Rehabilitated with Either a Conventional Complete or an Implant-Supported Fixed Complete Denture.

Quantifying in edentulous patients the facial collapse and whether complete conventional denture (CCD) and implant-supported fixed complete denture (ISFCD) can restore the facial proportions to match those of a dentate patient (CG) is relevant for clinical dentists. One hundred and four participants were enrolled and divided into edentulous (n=56) and CG (n=48). The edentulous participants were rehabilitated with CCD (n=28) or ISFCD (n=28) in both arches. Anthropometric landmarks in the face were marked and captured by stereophotogrammetry. Linear, angular, and surface measurements were analyzed and compared among groups. The statistical analysis was performed by an independent t-test, the one-way ANOVA, and Tukey's test. The significance level was set at 0.05. The facial collapse was quantified as a significant shortening of the lower third of the face affecting facial aesthetics in all parameters evaluated and the same was observed in comparison among CCD, ISFCD, and CG. The CCD presented statistical differences with the CG group in the lower third of the face and labial surface, and the ISFCD showed no statistical differences with the CG and CCD. The facial collapse in edentulous patients could be restored through oral rehabilitation with an ISFCD similar to those of dentate patients.

Sex-Specific Patterns of Cerebral Atrophy and Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in Patients with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is characterized by amyloid ß deposition in leptomeningeal and superficial cortical vessels. Cognitive impairment is common and may occur independent of concomitant Alzheimer disease neuropathology. It is still unknown which neuroimaging findings are associated with dementia in cerebral amyloid angiopathy and whether they are modulated by sex. This study compared MR imaging markers in patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy with dementia or mild cognitive impairment or who are cognitively unimpaired and explored sex-specific differences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 58 patients with cerebral amyloid angiopathy selected from the cerebrovascular and memory outpatient clinics. Clinical characteristics were collected from clinical records. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy was diagnosed on MR imaging on the basis of the Boston criteria. Visual rating scores for atrophy and other imaging features were independently assessed by 2 senior neuroradiologists. RESULTS: Medial temporal lobe atrophy was higher for those with cerebral amyloid angiopathy with dementia versus those cognitively unimpaired (P = .015), but not for those with mild cognitive impairment. This effect was mainly driven by higher atrophy in men with dementia, compared with women with and without dementia (P = .034, P = .012; respectively) and with men without dementia (P = .012). Enlarged perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale were more frequent in women with dementia versus men with and without dementia (P = .021, P = .011; respectively) and women without dementia (P = .011). CONCLUSIONS: Medial temporal lobe atrophy was more prominent in men with dementia, whereas women showed a higher number of enlarged perivascular spaces in the centrum semiovale. Overall, this finding suggests differential pathophysiologic mechanisms with sex-specific neuroimaging patterns in cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Ovarian hormones influence immune response to liver ischemia-reperfusion.

Liver injury occurs after ischemia and reperfusion (IR), as seen in transplant settings. Sex hormones have been implicated in many pathophysiological mechanisms in females and this could lead to liver protection under inflammatory reperfusion conditions where an excessive immune response occurs. Despite such assumptions, this fact needs to be further investigated. To address this, female and male C57BL/6J mice (8-12 weeks old) were studied. Bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) was performed in females to decrease estradiol levels. IR was performed, and after two weeks, all animals underwent a sham control operation or IR with euthanasia at the following time points after reperfusion: 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. IR triggered an inflammatory process in the liver with recruitment of neutrophils into the parenchyma of male mice. The female sham mice were protected against liver IR presenting no alteration of aminotransferase (ALT) levels compared to males. OVX caused loss of protection, increasing hepatic injury as represented by increased ALT levels and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Female sham mice showed increased Akt phosphorylation and activation, while males showed reduced Akt activation. Estradiol pretreatment recovered ALT levels after IR injury, which was associated with decreased liver injury.

Effect of the addition of antifreeze protein type I on the quality of post-thawed domestic cat epididymal sperm.

Cryopreservation of domestic cat semen is mainly performed as a model for the establishment of endangered wild feline protocols. The supplementation of antifreeze protein type I (AFP I) to cryopreservation medium has shown improvement in frozen-thawed sperm quality in other species, but its effect on cat semen has not yet been tested. This study aimed to assess the addition of AFP I to cryopreservation medium in domestic cats. Sperm was obtained from the cauda epididymis of orchiectomized cats; sperm was then pooled in Tris buffer and allocated into three treatments, according to AFP I final concentration: 0 (control), 0.1, and 0.5 µg/ml. Nine replicates were cryopreserved in a two-step protocol and subsequently thawed at 37°C for 30 s. There was no difference (P > 0.05) among the control, 0.1 and 0.5 µg/ml groups for parameters such as motility, vitality, functional membrane integrity, mature chromatin, normal morphology, and sperm binding to egg perivitelline membrane. In the 0.5 µg/ml group only, percentages of live sperm with intact acrosome and of sperm with most inactive mitochondria (DAB III) showed a significant reduction, along with a tendency (P = 0.053) to an increase in the percentage of sperm with most active mitochondria (DAB II). In conclusion, the supplementation of 0.1 and 0.5 µg/ml of AFP I did not promote consistent beneficial effects on the overall sperm cryotolerance in domestic cats.

The influence of primer choice on archaeal phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene PCR / A influência da escolha de iniciadores na filogenia de Archaea em ensaios de PCR para o gene rRNA 16S

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting 16S rRNA genes followed by DNA sequencing are still important tools to characterize microbial communities present in environmental samples. However, despite the crescent number of deposited archaeal DNA sequences in databases, until now we do not have a clear picture of the effectiveness and specificity of the universal primers widely used to describe archaeal communities from different natural habitats. Therefore, in this study, we compared the phylogenetic profile obtained when Cerrado lake sediment DNA samples were submitted to 16S rDNA PCR employing three Archaea-specific primer sets commonly used. Our findings reveal that specificity of primers differed depending on the source of the analyzed DNA. Furthermore, archaeal communities revealed by each primer pair varied greatly, indicating that 16S rRNA gene primer choice affects the community profile obtained, with differences in both taxon detection and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) estimates.

A amplificação de genes que codificam o rRNA 16S por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e o seu sub sequentesequenciamento consistem em uma ferramenta importante na caracterização de comunidades microbianas presentes em amostras ambientais. No entanto, apesar do crescente número de sequências de DNA de Archaea depositadas em bancos de dados, a especificidade e efetividade dos iniciadores de PCR descritos como universais e amplamente utilizados na descrição desse grupo ainda não está clara. Neste estudo foram comparados os perfis filogenéticos de comunidades de arqueias obtidos a partir amostras de DNA de sedimentos lacustres do Cerrado submetidas a ensaios de PCR empregando três pares de iniciadores específicos para Archaea, comumente utilizados neste tipo de estudo. Nossos resultados indicam que as comunidades de arqueias detectadas com cada par de iniciadores apresentaram grande variação filogenética, sugerindo que a escolha de iniciadores dirigidos ao gene de rRNA 16S tem efeito significativo no perfil da comunidade descrita, com diferenças tanto em relação aos táxons detectados, como nas estimativas de unidades taxonômicas operacionais (OTU).

The influence of primer choice on archaeal phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene PCR

Abstract Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting 16S rRNA genes followed by DNA sequencing are still important tools to characterize microbial communities present in environmental samples. However, despite the crescent number of deposited archaeal DNA sequences in databases, until now we do not have a clear picture of the effectiveness and specificity of the universal primers widely used to describe archaeal communities from different natural habitats. Therefore, in this study, we compared the phylogenetic profile obtained when Cerrado lake sediment DNA samples were submitted to 16S rDNA PCR employing three Archaea-specific primer sets commonly used. Our findings reveal that specificity of primers differed depending on the source of the analyzed DNA. Furthermore, archaeal communities revealed by each primer pair varied greatly, indicating that 16S rRNA gene primer choice affects the community profile obtained, with differences in both taxon detection and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) estimates.

Resumo A amplificação de genes que codificam o rRNA 16S por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e o seu subsequente sequenciamento consistem em uma ferramenta importante na caracterização de comunidades microbianas presentes em amostras ambientais. No entanto, apesar do crescente número de sequências de DNA de Archaea depositadas em bancos de dados, a especificidade e efetividade dos iniciadores de PCR descritos como universais e amplamente utilizados na descrição desse grupo ainda não está clara. Neste estudo foram comparados os perfis filogenéticos de comunidades de arqueias obtidos a partir amostras de DNA de sedimentos lacustres do Cerrado submetidas a ensaios de PCR empregando três pares de iniciadores específicos para Archaea, comumente utilizados neste tipo de estudo. Nossos resultados indicam que as comunidades de arqueias detectadas com cada par de iniciadores apresentaram grande variação filogenética, sugerindo que a escolha de iniciadores dirigidos ao gene de rRNA 16S tem efeito significativo no perfil da comunidade descrita, com diferenças tanto em relação aos táxons detectados, como nas estimativas de unidades taxonômicas operacionais (OTU).

The influence of primer choice on archaeal phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene PCR / A influência da escolha de iniciadores na filogenia de Archaea em ensaios de PCR para o gene rRNA 16S

Abstract Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting 16S rRNA genes followed by DNA sequencing are still important tools to characterize microbial communities present in environmental samples. However, despite the crescent number of deposited archaeal DNA sequences in databases, until now we do not have a clear picture of the effectiveness and specificity of the universal primers widely used to describe archaeal communities from different natural habitats. Therefore, in this study, we compared the phylogenetic profile obtained when Cerrado lake sediment DNA samples were submitted to 16S rDNA PCR employing three Archaea-specific primer sets commonly used. Our findings reveal that specificity of primers differed depending on the source of the analyzed DNA. Furthermore, archaeal communities revealed by each primer pair varied greatly, indicating that 16S rRNA gene primer choice affects the community profile obtained, with differences in both taxon detection and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) estimates.

Resumo A amplificação de genes que codificam o rRNA 16S por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e o seu subsequente sequenciamento consistem em uma ferramenta importante na caracterização de comunidades microbianas presentes em amostras ambientais. No entanto, apesar do crescente número de sequências de DNA de Archaea depositadas em bancos de dados, a especificidade e efetividade dos iniciadores de PCR descritos como universais e amplamente utilizados na descrição desse grupo ainda não está clara. Neste estudo foram comparados os perfis filogenéticos de comunidades de arqueias obtidos a partir amostras de DNA de sedimentos lacustres do Cerrado submetidas a ensaios de PCR empregando três pares de iniciadores específicos para Archaea, comumente utilizados neste tipo de estudo. Nossos resultados indicam que as comunidades de arqueias detectadas com cada par de iniciadores apresentaram grande variação filogenética, sugerindo que a escolha de iniciadores dirigidos ao gene de rRNA 16S tem efeito significativo no perfil da comunidade descrita, com diferenças tanto em relação aos táxons detectados, como nas estimativas de unidades taxonômicas operacionais (OTU).

Ovarian hormones influence immune response to liver ischemia-reperfusion

Liver injury occurs after ischemia and reperfusion (IR), as seen in transplant settings. Sex hormones have been implicated in many pathophysiological mechanisms in females and this could lead to liver protection under inflammatory reperfusion conditions where an excessive immune response occurs. Despite such assumptions, this fact needs to be further investigated. To address this, female and male C57BL/6J mice (8-12 weeks old) were studied. Bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) was performed in females to decrease estradiol levels. IR was performed, and after two weeks, all animals underwent a sham control operation or IR with euthanasia at the following time points after reperfusion: 6, 12, 24, and 48 h. IR triggered an inflammatory process in the liver with recruitment of neutrophils into the parenchyma of male mice. The female sham mice were protected against liver IR presenting no alteration of aminotransferase (ALT) levels compared to males. OVX caused loss of protection, increasing hepatic injury as represented by increased ALT levels and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Female sham mice showed increased Akt phosphorylation and activation, while males showed reduced Akt activation. Estradiol pretreatment recovered ALT levels after IR injury, which was associated with decreased liver injury.

Unusual magnetic resonance imaging findings of cystic bone lesions in congenital generalized lipodystrophy.

Cystic bone lesions are the hallmark of skeletal abnormalities in patients with congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL). However, their pathophysiology is still unclear and theories about their origin remain largely speculative. This article reports on a patient with CGL and cystic bone lesions, some of them with unusual magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings that include elevated signal intensity on T1-weighted images and fluid-fluid levels, the latter evolving to a more "classic" cystic appearance on follow-up. Even though similar findings were first described almost 30 years ago, little attention was given to them back then; furthermore, other than the present report, no other study has performed sequential exams to follow their evolution in serial MRI. The authors conduct a review of the literature, hypothesizing that these remarkable findings may reflect an intermediate stage in the process of cystification of the abnormal bone marrow, incapable to perform adipose conversion, lending factual support to the modern theories about this issue.

Field-resolved THz-pump laser-probe measurements with CEP-unstable THz light sources.

Radiation sources with a stable carrier-envelope phase (CEP) are highly demanded tools for field-resolved studies of light-matter interaction, providing access both to the amplitude and phase information of dynamical processes. At the same time, many coherent light sources, including those with outstanding power and spectral characteristics lack CEP stability, and so far could not be used for this type of research. In this work, we present a method enabling linear and non-linear phase-resolved terahertz (THz) -pump laser-probe experiments with CEP-unstable THz sources. THz CEP information for each pulse is extracted using a specially designed electro-optical detection scheme. The method correlates the extracted CEP value for each pulse with the THz-induced response in the parallel pump-probe experiment to obtain an absolute phase-resolved response after proper sorting and averaging. As a proof-of-concept, we demonstrate experimentally field-resolved THz time-domain spectroscopy with sub-cycle temporal resolution using the pulsed radiation of a CEP-unstable infrared free-electron laser (IR-FEL) operating at 13 MHz repetition rate. In spite of the long history of IR-FELs and their unique operational characteristics, no successful realization of CEP-stable operation has been demonstrated yet. Being CEP-unstable, IR-FEL radiation has so far only been used in non-coherent measurements without phase resolution. The technique demonstrated here is robust, operates easily at high-repetition rates and for short THz pulses, and enables common sequential field-resolved time-domain experiments. The implementation of such a technique at IR-FEL user end-stations will facilitate a new class of linear and non-linear experiments for studying coherent light-driven phenomena with increased signal-to-noise ratio.

Terahertz-slicing - an all-optical synchronization for 4th generation light sources.

A conceptually new approach to synchronizing accelerator-based light sources and external laser systems is presented. The concept is based on utilizing a sufficiently intense accelerator-based single-cycle terahertz pulse to slice a thereby intrinsically synchronized femtosecond-level part of a longer picosecond laser pulse in an electro-optic crystal. A precise synchronization of the order of 10 fs is demonstrated, allowing for real-time lock-in amplifier signal demodulation. We demonstrate successful operation of the concept with three benchmark experiments using a 4th generation accelerator-based terahertz light source, i.e. (i) far-field terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, (ii) terahertz high harmonic generation spectroscopy, and (iii) terahertz scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy.

Optical computing of quantum revivals.

Interference is the mechanism through which waves can be structured into the most fascinating patterns. While for sensing, imaging, trapping, or in fundamental investigations, structured waves play nowadays an important role and are becoming the subject of many interesting studies. Using a coherent optical field as a probe, we show how to structure light into distributions presenting collapse and revival structures in its wavefront. These distributions are obtained from the Fourier spectrum of an arrangement of aperiodic diffracting structures. Interestingly, the resulting interference may present quasiperiodic structures of diffraction peaks on a number of distance scales, even though the diffracting structure is not periodic. We establish an analogy with revival phenomena in the evolution of quantum mechanical systems and illustrate this computation numerically and experimentally, obtaining excellent agreement with the proposed theory.

Trends in osteoporotic fracture and related in-hospital complications during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada.

Fragility fractures (i.e., low-energy fractures) account for most fractures among older Canadians and are associated with significant increases in morbidity and mortality. Study results suggest that low-energy fracture rates (associated with surgical intervention and outcomes) declined slightly, but largely remained stable in the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. PURPOSE/INTRODUCTION: This study describes rates of low-energy fractures, time-to-surgery, complications, and deaths post-surgery in patients with fractures during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Alberta, Canada, compared to the three years prior. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted using provincial-level administrative health data. Outcomes were assessed in 3-month periods in the 3 years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic and in the first two 3-month periods after restrictions were implemented. Patterns of fracture- and hospital-related outcomes over the control years (2017-2019) and COVID-19 restrictions periods (2020) were calculated. RESULTS: Relative to the average from the control periods, there was a slight decrease in the absolute number of low-energy fractures (n = 4733 versus n = 4308) during the first COVID-19 period, followed by a slight rise in the second COVID-19 period (n = 4520 versus n = 4831). While the absolute number of patients with low-energy fractures receiving surgery within the same episode of care decreased slightly during the COVID-19 periods, the proportion receiving surgery and the proportion receiving surgery within 24 h of admission remained stable. Across all periods, hip fractures accounted for the majority of patients with low-energy fractures receiving surgery (range: 58.9-64.2%). Patients with complications following surgery and in-hospital deaths following fracture repair decreased slightly during the COVID-19 periods. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that low-energy fracture rates, associated surgeries, and surgical outcomes declined slightly, but largely remained stable in the first few months of the pandemic. Further investigation is warranted to explore patterns during subsequent COVID-19 waves when the healthcare system experienced severe strain.

Trends in osteoporosis care patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada.

PURPOSE/INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to describe osteoporosis-related care patterns during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Alberta, Canada, relative to the 3-year preceding. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional study design encompassing 3-month periods of continuous administrative health data between March 15, 2017, and September 14, 2020, described osteoporosis-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and treatment patterns. Outcomes included patients with osteoporosis-related healthcare encounters, physician visits, diagnostic and laboratory test volumes, and treatment initiations and disruptions. The percent change between outcomes was calculated, averaged across the control periods (2017-2019), relative to the COVID-19 periods (2020). RESULTS: Relative to the average control March to June period, all HCRU declined during the corresponding COVID-19 period. There was a reduction of 14% in patients with osteoporosis healthcare encounters, 13% in general practitioner visits, 9% in specialist practitioner visits, 47% in bone mineral density tests, and 13% in vitamin D tests. Treatment initiations declined 43%, 26%, and 35% for oral bisphosphonates, intravenous bisphosphonates, and denosumab, respectively. Slight increases were observed in the proportion of patients with treatment disruptions. In the subsequent June to September period, HCRU either returned to or surpassed pre-pandemic levels, when including telehealth visits accounting for 33-45% of healthcare encounters during the COVID periods. Oral bisphosphonate treatment initiations remained lower than pre-pandemic levels. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding public health lockdowns further heightened the "crisis" around the known gap in osteoporosis care and altered the provision of care (e.g., use of telehealth and initiation of treatment). Osteoporosis has a known substantial care and management disparity, which has been classified as a crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic created additional burden on osteoporosis patient care with healthcare encounters, physician visits, diagnostic and laboratory tests, and treatment initiations all declining during the initial pandemic period, relative to previous years.

Mitigation of the effects of salt stress in cowpea bean through the exogenous aplication of brassinosteroid.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) is a legume widely cultivated by small, medium and large producers in several Brazilian regions. However, one of the concerns for the production of cowpea in Brazil in recent years is the low rainfall activity in these regions, which generates the accumulation of salts on the surface. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of salt stress on growth parameters and enzyme activity in cowpea plants at different concentrations of brassinosteroids. Experiment was developed in a greenhouse using a completely randomized experimental design in a 3 x 3 factorial scheme. The treatments consisted of three levels of brassinosteroids (0, 3 and 6 µM EBL) and three levels of salt stress (0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl). Growth factors (height, diameter and number of leaves) decreased in the saline condition. With the presence of brassinosteroid the height did not increase, but the number of leaves did, mainly in the saline dosage of 100 mM NaCl. In the variable membrane integrity, brassinosteroid was efficient in both salinity dosages, the same not happening with the relative water content, where the saline condition did not affect the amount of water in the vegetable, with the application of brassino it remained high, decreasing only at dosage 100 mM NaCl. The nitrate reductase enzyme was greatly affected in the root system even with the application of increasing doses of brassino. Therefore, brassinosteroids as a promoter of saline tolerance in cowpea seedlings was positive. The concentration of 3µM of EBL provided the most satisfactory effect in tolerating the deleterious effects of the saline condition. The same cannot be concluded for the concentration of 6µM of EBL that did not promote tolerance to some variables.