Exploring Myrciaria dubia liquid extract as a potential semen extender for breeding roosters.

The current investigation aimed to explore the effects of Myrciaria dubia liquid extract (MDLE) as the primary component of an extender for breeder rooster semen over different periods at room temperature. Fifteen breeder roosters (40 weeks of age, average body weight of 2.05±0.12) with confirmed fertility were used. Employing a factorial design (3x4), the treatments consisted of semen in natura and two semen extenders (an experimental based on MDLE and a commercial) subjected to four periods at room temperature post-collection (5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes) with four replicates (tubes) each. All variables evaluated in this study yielding significant results (p<0.05). Analyzed individually, the experimental extender based on MDLE exhibited a linear reduction (p<0.05) in motility and vigor results, while it caused an increase in pH values and percentages of sperm defects evaluated. When compared with semen in natura and commercial extender, the efficiency of MDLE as a semen extender was inferior to that observed with the commercial extender and similar to the results observed with semen in natura. Nonetheless, the experimental extender based on MDLE yielded satisfactory results for up to 15 minutes of storage time. In conclusion, MDLE can be considered as an alternative for composing a roosters' semen extender, maintaining sperm characteristics within acceptable limits for up to 15 minutes at room temperature. However, this experimental extender demonstrated lower efficiency than the commercial extender in maintaining the sperm quality at room temperature across all periods tested.

Safety signal detected: Anaphylaxis after attenuated dengue vaccine (TAK-003) - Brazil, march 1, 2023-march 11, 2024.

The aim was to describe cases of anaphylaxis following the Attenuated Dengue Vaccine (TAK-003) in Brazil, from March 1, 2023, to March 11, 2024. A descriptive study of anaphylaxis cases following TAK-003 was conducted, as reported in the National System of Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). Percentages and notification rates of AEFI per million doses administered (DA) were calculated. In total, 380,358 doses of TAK-003 were administered, and 626 AEFI were reported. Of these, 85 were cases of immediate hypersensitivity, with 24 (63.1 cases per million) being anaphylaxis, including three anaphylactic shock. For 10 (41.7 %) cases, reactions began within 15 min after vaccination. No deaths related to anaphylaxis were reported. In light of the safety signal identification (increased frequency of anaphylaxis post-dengue vaccination), the Ministry of Health of Brazil published recommendations for intensifying actions for safe vaccination, including healthcare professional training and post-vaccination observation.

Contextual Hospital Conditions and the Risk of Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Matched Case-Control Study with Density Sampling in a Large Portuguese Hospital.

Objective: Knowledge of the role of hospital conditions in SARS-CoV-2 transmission should inform strategies for the prevention of nosocomial spread of this pathogen and of similarly transmitted viruses. This study aimed to identify risk factors for nosocomial acquisition of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We ran a nested case-control study with incidence density sampling among adult patients hospitalized for >7 days (August-December 2020). Patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 after the 7th day of hospitalization were defined as cases and matched with controls (1:4) by date of admission, hospitalization duration until index date, and type of department. Individual and contextual characteristics were gathered, including admission characteristics and exposures during the risk period. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) with respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) separately for probable (diagnosed on day 8-13) and definitive (diagnosed after day 14) nosocomial sets. Results: We identified 65 cases (31 probable; 34 definitive) and 219 controls. No individual characteristic was related to nosocomial acquisition of SARS-CoV-2. Contextual risk factors for nosocomial acquisition were staying in a non-refurbished room (probable nosocomial: OR = 3.6, 1.18-10.87), contact with roommates with newly diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 (probable nosocomial: OR = 9.9, 2.11-46.55; definitive nosocomial: OR = 3.4, 1.09-10.30), and contact with roommates with a first positive test 21-90 days before the beginning of contact (probable nosocomial: OR = 10.7, 1.97-57.7). Conclusions: Hospital conditions and contact with recently infected patients modulated nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission. These results alert us to the importance of the physical context and of agile screening procedures to shorten contact with patients with recent infection.

Draft genome sequence of Bacillus velezensis endophytically isolated from roots of Polygala paniculata.

Polygala paniculata is a medicinal plant that harbors a remaining unknown microbiome. Those plants are known for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and are widely found in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Herein, we report the isolation of the endophyte Bacillus velezensis GPP30 with a draft genome estimated at 4.0 Mpb.

Variation in Antibiotic Prescription in High-Risk Febrile Neutropenia in Portuguese Hospitals.

INTRODUCTION: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a potentially severe entity, particularly in hemato-oncologic patients who have higher incidence of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria. Discrepancies among guidelines contribute to divergence in antimicrobial practices. Our objective was to assess the variation of practices in antimicrobial therapy in high-risk FN among Portuguese hematologists. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study through the implementation of an online survey, open to all clinical hematologists in the country. To characterize practice patterns regarding critical elements in FN management, three clinical vignettes were designed to describe typical situations where narrow-spectrum empiric antibiotics (vignette 1), short-course therapy (vignette 2) and de-escalation (vignette 3) could be performed. The remaining questions characterized clinical experience, department size, and differentiation and decision-making process regarding FN antibiotic therapy. RESULTS: The survey yielded 31 responses from 11 hospitals across four regions. All respondents opted for empiric narrow-spectrum antibiotics, 22.6% opted for short-course therapy (mostly senior specialists from larger settings) and 35.5% for de-escalation (mostly young specialists). Availability of an FN protocol seemed to favor both approaches. These findings should be complemented by qualitative assessments of barriers to best practices and should support the need for interventions to improve antibiotic use in febrile neutropenia.

Surgical site infection surveillance in knee and hip arthroplasty: optimizing an algorithm to detect high-risk patients based on electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) is an important cause of disease burden and healthcare costs. Fully manual surveillance is time-consuming and prone to subjectivity and inter-individual variability, which can be partly overcome by semi-automated surveillance. Algorithms used in orthopaedic SSI semi-automated surveillance have reported high sensitivity and important workload reduction. This study aimed to design and validate different algorithms to identify patients at high risk of SSI after hip or knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Retrospective data from manual SSI surveillance between May 2015 and December 2017 were used as gold standard for validation. Knee and hip arthroplasty were included, patients were followed up for 90 days and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control SSI classification was applied. Electronic health records data was used to generate different algorithms, considering combinations of the following variables: ≥1 positive culture, ≥ 3 microbiological requests, antimicrobial therapy ≥ 7 days, length of hospital stay ≥ 14 days, orthopaedics readmission, orthopaedics surgery and emergency department attendance. Sensitivity, specificity, negative and predictive value, and workload reduction were calculated. RESULTS: In total 1631 surgical procedures were included, of which 67.5% (n = 1101) in women; patients' median age was 69 years (IQR 62 to 77) and median Charlson index 2 (IQR 1 to 3). Most surgeries were elective (92.5%; n = 1508) and half were hip arthroplasty (52.8%; n = 861). SSI incidence was 3.8% (n = 62), of which 64.5% were deep or organ/space infections. Positive culture was the single variable with highest sensitivity (64.5%), followed by orthopaedic reintervention (59.7%). Twenty-four algorithms presented 90.3% sensitivity for all SSI types and 100% for deep and organ/space SSI. Workload reduction ranged from 59.7 to 67.7%. The algorithm including ≥ 3 microbiological requests, length of hospital stay ≥ 14 days and emergency department attendance, was one of the best options in terms of sensitivity, workload reduction and feasibility for implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Different algorithms with high sensitivity to detect all types of SSI can be used in real life, tailored to clinical practice and data availability. Emergency department attendance can be an important variable to identify superficial SSI in semi-automated surveillance.

Sequence Processing in Music Predicts Reading Skills in Young Readers: A Longitudinal Study.

Musical abilities, both in the pitch and temporal dimension, have been shown to be positively associated with phonological awareness and reading abilities in both children and adults. There is increasing evidence that the relationship between music and language relies primarily on the temporal dimension, including both meter and rhythm. It remains unclear to what extent skill level in these temporal aspects of music may uniquely contribute to the prediction of reading outcomes. A longitudinal design was used to test a group-administered musical sequence transcription task (MSTT). This task was designed to preferentially engage sequence processing skills while controlling for fine-grained pitch discrimination and rhythm in terms of temporal grouping. Forty-five children, native speakers of Portuguese (Mage = 7.4 years), completed the MSTT and a cognitive-linguistic protocol that included visual and auditory working memory tasks, as well as phonological awareness and reading tasks in second grade. Participants then completed reading assessments in third and fifth grades. Longitudinal regression models showed that MSTT and phonological awareness had comparable power to predict reading. The MSTT showed an overall classification accuracy for identifying low-achievement readers in Grades 2, 3, and 5 that was analogous to a comprehensive model including core predictors of reading disability. In addition, MSTT was the variable with the highest loading and the most discriminatory indicator of a phonological factor. These findings carry implications for the role of temporal sequence processing in contributing to the relationship between music and language and the potential use of MSTT as a language-independent, time- and cost-effective tool for the early identification of children at risk of reading disability.

Motor repertoire in 3- to 5- month-old infants with prenatal exposure to syphilis and toxoplasmosis.

AIM: To characterize the motor repertoire of 3- to 5-month-old infants who were prenatally exposed to the infectious agents of syphilis and toxoplasmosis. METHODS: Exploratory observational study that evaluated 15 exposed infants (34.4 ± 3.5 weeks gestation) recruited from a referral center. Age assessment ranged 12-20 (median 12) weeks post-term. General Movement Assessment, including the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R), was used to assess the global quality of fidgety movements (FMs) and to quantify and detail coexisting motor patterns. Clinical variables were also collected. Later motor outcomes were obtained from medical reports when possible. RESULTS: MOS-R ranged 10-26 (median 24). There was a higher proportion of infants with normal (80.0 %) than aberrant FMs, but the proportion of infants with reduced MOS-R (80.0 %) was higher compared to optimal MOS-R. One infant with aberrant FMs was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Only 13.3 % of the infants showed smooth and fluent movement character. All observed tongue movements were abnormal. CONCLUSION: Infants had predominantly normal FMs, but with reduced MOS-R and abnormalities in the coexisting motor repertoire.

Appropriateness of Empirical Prescriptions of Ceftriaxone and Identification of Opportunities for Stewardship Interventions: A Single-Centre Cross-Sectional Study.

Third-generation cephalosporins are widely used due to the convenient spectrum of activity, safety, and posology. However, they are associated with the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms, which makes them important targets for antimicrobial stewardship interventions. We aimed to assess the appropriateness of empirical prescriptions of ceftriaxone in a tertiary hospital. This cross-sectional study analysed empirical ceftriaxone prescriptions in January and June 2021. Patients under other antimicrobials 48 h before admission were excluded. The quality of ceftriaxone prescription was assessed regarding the initial appropriateness, duration of inappropriate ceftriaxone therapy, and missed opportunities for de-escalation. Of 465 prescriptions, 46.5% were inappropriate. The ceftriaxone prescription was inappropriate in 95.7% of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) globally and in nearly 40% of urinary tract infections (UTI) in medical and intensive care departments. Intensive care, internal medicine, and palliative care departments showed the highest number of inappropriate ceftriaxone prescriptions and longer length of inappropriate ceftriaxone prescriptions compared to the hospital's average. Improvement of empirical ceftriaxone prescription in LRTI and urinary infections, adherence to local guidelines and de-escalation practices, and targeted interventions focusing on critical departments may significantly reduce the inappropriate empirical use of ceftriaxone.

Cardiac Behavior and Heart Rate Variability in Elderly Hypertensive Individuals during Aerobic Exercise: A Non-Randomized Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: High blood pressure is an important public health problem due to its high prevalence, the difficulty to control it, and its high contribution to morbidity. A series of changes may be linked to the aging process, compromising cardiac conduction, and reducing cardiovascular baroreceptor function. Advancing age promotes a decline in heart rate variability and this decrease can increase the probability of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the autonomic modulation of heart rate in hypertensive elderly individuals during and after a session of aerobic exercise, and to compare it with elderly individuals without cardiovascular or metabolic disease. Our study was a non-randomized controlled study with hypertensive elderly (HBP group) and elderly without cardiovascular and/or metabolic diseases (control group). Data on blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) were collected before, during, and after 30 min of aerobic physical exercise on a treadmill. There was a reduction in HF (ms2) and SD1 (ms) in the 5 min of recovery for the elderly in the control group. The elderly in the control group also had greater RMSSD and SD1 30 min post-exercise when compared to the initial mins of recovery. We concluded that there was no difference in autonomic modulation and global heart rate variability between elderly individuals without cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and hypertensive individuals after a bout of aerobic exercise. Elderly individuals without metabolic diseases showed a decrease in parasympathetic modulation and global variability between the time of rest and 5 min of recovery. However, up to 30 min of post-exercise recovery, they restored parasympathetic activity.

Consequências da herpes tipo 1 no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor / Consequences of herpes type 1 on neuropsymotor development / Consecuencias del herpes tipo 1 en el desarrollo neuropsicomotor

Objetivo: Descrever as consequências do herpes tipo 1 no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa das consequências da Herpes do tipo 1 no Desenvolvimento Neuropsicomotor. Questão norteadora: "Quais os efeitos da infecção congênita da Herpes tipo 1 no Desenvolvimento Neuropsicomotor observadas entre os anos de 2010 a 2020?". O levantamento dos dados ocorreu: dezembro/2021 a janeiro/2022 nas bases de dados: Scientific Eletronic Library Online, Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde e National Library of Medicine. Descritores: "Herpes"; "Desenvolvimento Neuropsicomotor"; "Herpes Congênita" e "Neuropsychomotor Development" com operadores booleanos AND e OR. Critérios de inclusão: artigos originais, texto completo. Exclusão: cartas ao editor, teses, dissertações e revisões de literatura. Resultados: Foram encontrados 21 artigos nas bases de dados pesquisadas, contudo, após a aplicação dos critérios de inclusão, 3 artigos foram considerados elegíveis. Após a análise, pode-se afirmar os impactos do Vírus Herpes pode gerar ao desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor, podendo ocasionar disfagia, disartria, alterações motoras, cognitivas e sociais, bem como outros sinais e sintomas que levarão ao atraso no desenvolvimento. Conclusão: O Herpes Vírus Simples pode ocasionar transtornos cerebrais em crianças, o que acarreta distúrbios para o amadurecimento normal, com consequente atrasos no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor.

Objective: To describe the consequences of herpes type 1 on neuropsychomotor development. Methodology: This is a narrative review of the consequences of Herpes type 1 on Neuropsychomotor Development. Guiding question: "What are the effects of congenital Herpes type 1 infection on Neuropsychomotor Development observed between the years 2010 to 2020?". Data collection took place: December/2021 to January/2022 in the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences and National Library of Medicine. Keywords: "Herpes"; "Neuropsychomotor Development"; "Herpes Congenita" and "Neuropsychomotor Development" with Boolean operators AND and OR. Inclusion criteria: original articles, full text. Exclusion: letters to the editor, theses, dissertations and literature reviews. Results: 21 articles were found in the searched databases, however, after applying the inclusion criteria, 3 articles were considered eligible. After the analysis, it can be said the impacts of the Herpes Virus can generate neuropsychomotor development, which can cause dysphagia, dysarthria, motor, cognitive and social changes, as well as other signs and symptoms that will lead to developmental delay. Conclusion: Herpes Simplex Virus can cause brain disorders in children, which causes disturbances to normal maturation, with consequent delays in neuropsychomotor development.

Objetivo: Describir las consecuencias del herpes tipo 1 en el desarrollo neuropsicomotor. Metodología: Se trata de una revisión narrativa de las consecuencias del Herpes Tipo 1 en el Desarrollo Neuropsicomotor. Pregunta norteadora: "¿Cuáles son los efectos de la infección congénita por Herpes tipo 1 en el desarrollo neuropsicomotor observados entre los años 2010 y 2020?". Los datos se recopilaron entre diciembre de 2021 y enero de 2022 en las siguientes bases de datos: Scientific Eletronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences y National Library of Medicine. Descriptores: "Herpes"; "Desarrollo neuropsicomotor"; "Herpes congénito" y "Desarrollo neuropsicomotor" con operadores booleanos AND y OR. Criterios de inclusión: artículos originales, texto completo. Criterios de exclusión: cartas al director, tesis, disertaciones y revisiones bibliográficas. Resultados: Se encontraron 21 artículos en las bases de datos consultadas, sin embargo, tras aplicar los criterios de inclusión, se consideraron elegibles 3 artículos. Después del análisis, se puede afirmar los impactos que el Herpes Virus puede tener en el desarrollo neuropsicomotor, que puede causar disfagia, disartria, alteraciones motoras, cognitivas y sociales, así como otros signos y síntomas que conducirán a un retraso en el desarrollo. Conclusión: El virus del herpes simple puede causar alteraciones cerebrales en los niños, lo que conduce a trastornos de la maduración normal, con los consiguientes retrasos en el desarrollo neuropsicomotor.

Relationship between musculoskeletal pain, sleep quality and migraine with level of physical activity in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negative impacts on general health of the population, social isolation can contribute to the emergence of various dysfunctions. Objective: To investigate the association musculoskeletal pain, sleep quality and migraine with the level of physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic in college students. Method: Data were collected through a sociodemographic questionnaire containing questions regarding sample characterization, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results: In the correlation made between the data at the beginning of the pandemic, there was a direct relationship between PSQI and the number of days with pain (p < 0.001), the Initial MIDAS score (p < 0.001) and the initial pain intensity (p < 0.001). There was a direct relationship between PSQI scores and age (p = 0.044), MIDAS (p < 0.001) and pain intensity (p < 0.001). We identified a direct relationship between MIDAS and the number of days with pain (p < 0.001) and pain intensity (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Social isolation, during the COVID-19 pandemic, probably potentiated painful symptoms in various parts of the body, worsening sleep quality and migraine. In addition, there is a strong evidence that the decrease in physical activity during the pandemic is associated with sleep quality, with the number of days with musculoskeletal pain and migraine.

Endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria associated with Paspalum atratum and its potential for plant growth promotion with different phosphate sources.

The genus Paspalum belongs to the family Poaceae and has several species that are native to Brazil. The Paspalum Germplasm Bank (GB) of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation comprises approximately 450 accessions from 50 species. Among these accessions, Paspalum atratum (BGP 308) has economic potential for forage purposes. However, the endophytic and rhizospheric microbial communities within this accession and their ability to promote plant growth remain unknown. The present study aimed to isolate the endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria associated with P. atratum and to assess their potential for plant growth improvement, so-called plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB). For the in vitro tests, the ability of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (NFB), phosphate solubilization (PS) and indoleacetic acid (IAA) production were evaluated. A total of 116 endophytic and rhizosphere bacteria were obtained from the isolation. In the in vitro tests, 43 (37.00%) of these isolates showed positive NFB, PS, and IAA results. These isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. The phosphate solubilization index (PSI) ranged from 2 to 3.61, all 43 strains performed biological nitrogen fixation and the IAA production ranged from 12.85 to 431.41 µg ml-1. Eight of these 43 isolates were evaluated in vivo in a greenhouse using P. atratum caryopsis. The pots were filled with soil prepared with three different phosphate sources and one control without phosphate. After growth, the plants were submitted to morphological, bromatological and chemical determination. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA). In the in vivo test, treatments 105 (Pseudomonas sp.) and 458 (Pseudomonas sp.) were the most significant for the crystalline phosphate source, 109 (Bacillus sp.) for the sedimentary phosphate source and, as for the soluble phosphate source most treatments that received bacterial isolates had higher phosphorus content in the dry matter than the uninoculated soluble phosphate control. The 105FCR (crystalline phosphate + Pseudomonas sp.), 109FSE (sedimentary phosphate + Bacillus sp.), and 110 FSE (sedimentary phosphate + Enterobacter sp.) treatments showed the best results for plant growth promotion. This work made it possible to determine the bacterial community associated with P. atratum (BGP308) and to obtain new potential plant growth-promoting strains.

Capacitação de cuidadores de crianças com autismo em intervenção via SUS / FORMACIÓN DE CUIDADORES DE NIÑOS CON AUTISMO EN INTERVENCIÓN VÍA SUS / TRAINING OF CAREGIVERS OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN IN INTERVENTION VIA SUS

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by neurodevelopmental alterations with onset of symptoms in childhood. The literature has indicated that the models of intensive behavioral intervention can produce significant improvements in several areas of the development of people with this diagnosis. The offer of this type of therapy in Brazil is still scarce, especially in institutions financed by the Unified Health System. However, the training of caregivers has been pointed out as an alternative to promote access to this type of therapy to more autistic people. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of caregiver training on the development of autistic children treated at an institution financed by the Unified Health System. Participants were assessed before and after the intervention, using an instrument that measured the children's development. The results indicated improvement in the development of six children out of a group of 17.

Os transtornos do espectro do autismo constituem-se por alterações do neurodesenvolvimento com início dos sintomas na infância. A literatura tem indicado que os modelos de intervenção comportamental in-tensiva podem produzir melhoras significativas em várias áreas do desenvolvimento de pessoas com esse diagnóstico. A oferta desse tipo de terapia no Brasil ainda é escassa, especialmente em instituições finan-ciadas pelo Sistema Único de Saúde. Contudo, a capacitação de cuidadores tem sido apontada como uma alternativa para promover o acesso a esse tipo de terapia a mais pessoas com autismo. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos da capacitação de cuidadores no desenvolvimento de crianças com autismo atendidas em uma instituição financiada pelo Sistema Único de Saúde. Os participantes foram avaliados antes e após a intervenção, por meio de instrumento que mediu o desenvolvimento das crianças. Os resul-tados indicaram melhora no desenvolvimento de seis crianças de um grupo de 17.

Los trastornos del espectro autista se caracterizan por alteraciones del neurodesarrollo con inicio de sín-tomas en la infancia. La literatura ha indicado que los modelos de intervención conductual intensiva pueden producir mejoras significativas en varias áreas del desarrollo de las personas con este diagnóstico. La oferta de este tipo de terapia en Brasil aún es escasa, especialmente en instituciones financiadas por el Sistema Único de Salud. Por otro lado, la formación de cuidadores se ha señalado como una alternativa para promover el acceso a este tipo de terapia a más personas con autismo. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los efectos de la formación de cuidadores en el desarrollo de niños con autismo atendidos en una institución financiada por el Sistema Único de Salud. Los participantes fueron evaluados antes y después de la intervención, utilizando un instrumento que midió el desarrollo de los niños. Los resultados indicaron una mejora en el desarrollo de seis niños en un grupo de 17.

Age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms impact quality of life in multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: to investigate the impact of age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms on the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis in comparison to healthy peers. METHODS: a total of 141 participants were tested in a single session. The assessments were composed by general questionnaires applied in both groups and by specific instruments restricted to multiple sclerosis. Multiple regression models were applied to assess relationships between predictors and outcome. RESULTS: age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms explained 56.6% of quality of life of the multiple sclerosis group. Age and neuropsychiatric symptoms explained 36.6% of quality of life in the control group. Age impacted more the multiple sclerosis group than the control group. Neuropsychiatric symptoms affected both groups similarly. Motor dysfunction impacted 21.9% of the quality of life in multiple sclerosis. CONCLUSIONS: the predictors explained considerable variance of quality of life in multiple sclerosis, which should guide public health policies.

Natural cururu toad (Rhinella sp.) poisoning in a free-ranging lesser grison (Galictis cuja): Outcomes in a new susceptible predator with a novel peptide description.

Cururu toad (Rhinella marina group) is widely distributed in Brazil. Lesser grison (Galitic cuja) is a South American mustelid. This is the first report of natural poisoning in a free-ranging lesser grison by Rhinella toad parotoid gland secretion (PGS). Five minutes after biting a toad, the lesser grison developed convulsion, dying within 1.5 h. Mass spectrometry analysis of a milky-whitish secretion found in the lesser grison oral cavity allowed identification of a bufotoxin and a new bufonid peptide.

Outbreak of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae at a Portuguese university hospital: Epidemiological characterization and containment measures.

Background: KPC-producing K pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) is a public health problem with important clinical and epidemiological implications. We describe an outbreak of KPC-Kp at vascular surgery and neurosurgery wards in a central hospital in Porto, Portugal. Methods: A case of KPC-Kp was considered to be a patient positive for KPC-Kp with strong epidemiological plausibility of having acquired this microorganism in the affected wards and/or with genetic relationship ≥92% between KPC-Kp isolates. Active surveillance cultures (ASCs) and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used for the detection of carbapenemase genes through rectal swab in a selected population. Molecular analysis was performed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis at the National Reference Laboratory. Patient risk factors were collected from the electronic medical record system. Information regarding outbreak containment strategy was collected from the Infection Control Unit records. Results: Of the 16 cases, 11 (69%) were identified through active screening, representing 1.4% of the total 766 ASCs collected. The most frequent risk factors identified were previous admission (63%), antibiotic exposure in the past 6 months (50%), and immunodepression (44%). The length of stay until KPC-Kp detection was high (0-121 days, mean 35.6), as was the total length of stay (5-173 days, mean 56.6). Three patients (19%) were infected by KPC-Kp, 2 of whom died. One previously colonized patient died later because of KPC-Kp infection. Conclusions: Multifactorial strategy based on contact precautions (with patient and healthcare professional cohorts) and ASC, as well as Antibiotic Stewardship Program reinforcement, allowed to contain this KPC-Kp outbreak.

Age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms impact quality of life in multiple sclerosis / Idade, disfunção motora e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos impactam a qualidade de vida na esclerose múltipla / La edad, la disfunción motora y los síntomas neuropsiquiátricos impactan en la calidad de vida en la esclerosis múltiple

ABSTRACT Objectives: to investigate the impact of age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms on the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis in comparison to healthy peers. Methods: a total of 141 participants were tested in a single session. The assessments were composed by general questionnaires applied in both groups and by specific instruments restricted to multiple sclerosis. Multiple regression models were applied to assess relationships between predictors and outcome. Results: age, motor dysfunction and neuropsychiatric symptoms explained 56.6% of quality of life of the multiple sclerosis group. Age and neuropsychiatric symptoms explained 36.6% of quality of life in the control group. Age impacted more the multiple sclerosis group than the control group. Neuropsychiatric symptoms affected both groups similarly. Motor dysfunction impacted 21.9% of the quality of life in multiple sclerosis. Conclusions: the predictors explained considerable variance of quality of life in multiple sclerosis, which should guide public health policies.

RESUMO Objetivos: investigar o impacto da idade, da disfunção motora e dos sintomas neuropsiquiátricos sobre a qualidade de vida de pessoas com esclerose múltipla na comparação com controles saudáveis. Métodos: 141 participantes foram testados em uma única sessão. As avaliações foram compostas por questionários gerais aplicados em ambos os grupos e por instrumentos específicos à esclerose múltipla. Modelos de regressão múltipla foram usados para avaliar relações entre preditores e desfecho. Resultados: idade, disfunção motora e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos explicaram 56,6% da qualidade de vida do grupo esclerose múltipla. Idade e sintomas neuropsiquiátricos corresponderam a 36,6% da qualidade de vida do grupo-controle. Idade impactou mais o grupo esclerose múltipla do que o grupo-controle. Sintomas neuropsiquiátricos afetaram os grupos semelhantemente. A disfunção motora impactou 21,9% da qualidade de vida na esclerose múltipla. Conclusões: os preditores explicaram considerável variação da qualidade de vida na esclerose múltipla, o que deve nortear políticas públicas de saúde.

RESUMEN Objetivos: investigar el impacto de edad, disfunción motora y síntomas neuropsiquiátricos en la calidad de vida de personas con esclerosis múltiple en comparación con controles saludables. Métodos: 141 participantes fueron evaluados en una sesión. Las evaluaciones fueron compuestas por cuestionarios generales aplicados en ambos grupos y por instrumentos específicos a la esclerosis múltiple. Modelos de regresión múltiple fueron utilizados para evaluar relaciones entre predictores y resultado. Resultados: edad, disfunción motora y síntomas neuropsiquiátricos explicaron 56,6% de la calidad de vida en la esclerosis múltiple. Edad y síntomas neuropsiquiátricos explicaron 36,6% de la calidad de vida del grupo control. Edad afectó más la esclerosis múltiple que al grupo de control. Síntomas neuropsiquiátricos afectaron los grupos similarmente. La disfunción motora impactó 21,9% de la calidad de vida en la esclerosis múltiple. Conclusiones: los predictores explicaron una considerable variación de la calidad de vida en la esclerosis múltiple, lo que debe guiar políticas de salud pública.

Community-based conservation with formal protection provides large collateral benefits to Amazonian migratory waterbirds.

Populations of migratory waterbirds are facing dramatic declines worldwide due to illegal hunting, habitat loss and climate change. Conservation strategies to reverse these trends are imperative, especially in tropical developing countries, which almost invariably allocate insufficient levels of investment for environmental protection. Here, we compared the effectiveness of sustainable-use Protected Areas (PAs) and Community-based Conservation (CBC) arrangements for the conservation of migratory waterbirds that breed on seasonal riverine sandy beaches in Brazilian Amazonia. We modeled local population responses of four migratory waterbird species on 155 beaches along a ~1,600 km section of a major tributary of the Amazon, as a function of community enforcement, official protection status, human pressure and landscape features. We show that 21 community-protected beaches within the study area host more than 80% of all sampled birds. Black Skimmers showed the most dramatic response, with breeding numbers 135-fold larger in CBC arrangements compared to beaches with no official protection status. The same pattern was observed for nesting Large-Billed and Yellow-Billed Terns. For the Near Threatened Orinoco Goose, PA status was the strongest predictor of local population size. These dramatic results demonstrate the value of protected refugia, achieved through the concerted action of participating local communities, to support breeding populations of key waterbird species. This highly-effective and low-cost conservation model can potentially be replicated in other regions of the developing world experiencing increasingly intensive exploitation of riverine natural resources.

Discovery of a Novel Lineage Burkholderia cepacia ST 1870 Endophytically Isolated from Medicinal Polygala paniculata Which Shows Potent In Vitro Antileishmanial and Antimicrobial Effects.

In this study, we report the isolation and identification of an endophytic strain of Burkholderia cepacia (COPS strain) associated with Polygala paniculata roots. Polygala plants are rich sources of promising microbiomes, of which the literature reports several pharmacological effects, such as trypanocidal, antinociceptive, anesthetic, anxiolytics, and anticonvulsant activities. B. cepacia COPS belongs to a new sequence type (ST 1870) and harbors a genome estimated in 8.3 Mbp which exhibits the aminoglycosides and beta-lactams resistance genes aph(3')-IIa and bla TEM-116, respectively. Analysis performed using MLST, average nucleotide identity, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization support its species-level identification and reveals its novel housekeeping genes alleles gyrB, lepA, and phaC. The root endophyte B. cepacia COPS drew our attention from a group of 14 bacterial isolates during the primary screening for being potentially active against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and exhibited the broad-spectrum activity against phytopathogenic fungi. In addition, COPS strain showed production of protease, lipase, and esterase in solid media, and its natural product extract showed potent inhibition against fungal plant pathogens, such as Moniliophthora perniciosa, whose antagonism index (89.32%) exceeded the positive control (74.17%), whereas Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Ceratocystis paradoxa showed high percentages of inhibition (85.53% and 82.69%, respectively). COPS crude extract also significantly inhibited S. epidermidis ATCC 35984, E. faecium ATCC 700221 (MIC values of 32 µg/mL for both), E. faecalis ATCC 29212 (64 µg/mL), and S. aureus ATCC 25923 (128 µg/mL). We observed moderate antagonistic activity against A. baumannii ATCC 19606 and E. coli ATCC 25922 (both at 512 µg/mL), as well as potent cytotoxic effects on Leishmania infantum and Leishmania major promastigote forms with 78.25% and 57.30% inhibition. In conclusion, this study presents for the first time the isolation of an endophytic B. cepacia strain associated with P. paniculata and enough evidence that these plants may be considered a rich source of microbes for the fight against neglected diseases.