Bioprospecting for new exopolysaccharide-producing microalgae of marine origin.

Microalgae are photosynthetic organisms that can produce biomolecules with industrial interest, including exopolysaccharides (EPS). Due to their structural and compositional diversity, microalgae EPS present interesting properties that can be considered in cosmetic and/or therapeutic areas. Seven microalgae strains from three different lineages, namely Dinophyceae (phylum Miozoa), Haptophyta, and Chlorophyta, were investigated as EPS producers. All strains were found to be EPS producers, though the highest EPS yield was obtained for Tisochrysis lutea, followed by Heterocapsa sp. (126.8 and 75.8 mg L-1, respectively). Upon assessment of the polymers' chemical composition, significant contents of unusual sugars, including fucose, rhamnose, and ribose, were found. Heterocapsa sp. EPS stood out due to its high content of fucose (40.9 mol%), a sugar known to confer biological properties to polysaccharides. The presence of sulfate groups (10.6-33.5 wt%) was also noticed in the EPS produced by all microalgae strains, thus contributing to the possibility that these EPS might have biological activities worth exploring.

Phylogeny and species delineation in the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia (Bacillariophyta) using cox1, LSU, and ITS2 rRNA genes: A perspective in character evolution.

Analyses of the mitochondrial cox1, the nuclear-encoded large subunit (LSU), and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) RNA coding region of Pseudo-nitzschia revealed that the P. pseudodelicatissima complex can be phylogenetically grouped into three distinct clades (Groups I-III), while the P. delicatissima complex forms another distinct clade (Group IV) in both the LSU and ITS2 phylogenetic trees. It was elucidated that comprehensive taxon sampling (sampling of sequences), selection of appropriate target genes and outgroup, and alignment strategies influenced the phylogenetic accuracy. Based on the genetic divergence, ITS2 resulted in the most resolved trees, followed by cox1 and LSU. The morphological characters available for Pseudo-nitzschia, although limited in number, were overall in agreement with the phylogenies when mapped onto the ITS2 tree. Information on the presence/absence of a central nodule, number of rows of poroids in each stria, and of sectors dividing the poroids mapped onto the ITS2 tree revealed the evolution of the recently diverged species. The morphologically based species complexes showed evolutionary relevance in agreement with molecular phylogeny inferred from ITS2 sequence-structure data. The data set of the hypervariable region of ITS2 improved the phylogenetic inference compared to the cox1 and LSU data sets. The taxonomic status of P. cuspidata and P. pseudodelicatissima requires further elucidation.

Characterization of a Strain of Fukuyoa paulensis (Dinophyceae) from the Western Mediterranean Sea.

A single cell of the dinoflagellate genus Fukuyoa was isolated from the island of Formentera (Balearic Islands, west Mediterranean Sea), cultured, and characterized by morphological and molecular methods and toxin analyses. This is the first report of the Gambierdiscus lineage (genera Fukuyoa and Gambierdiscus) from the western Mediterranean Sea, which is cooler than its eastern basin. Molecular analyses revealed that the Mediterranean strain belongs to F. paulensis and that it bears LSU rDNA sequences identical to New Zealand, Australian, and Brazilian strains. It also shared an identical sequence of the more variable ITS-rDNA with the Brazilian strain. Toxin analyses showed the presence of maitotoxin, 54-deoxyCTX1B, and gambieric acid A. This is the first observation of the two latter compounds in a Fukuyoa strain. Therefore, both Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa should be considered when as contributing to ciguatera fish poisoning. Different strains of Fukuyoa form a complex of morphologically cryptic lineages where F. paulensis stands as the most distantly related nominal species. The comparison of the ITS2 secondary structures revealed the absence of CBCs among strains. The study of the morphological and molecular traits depicted an unresolved taxonomic scenario impacted by the low strains sampling.

[Determination or determinants? A debate based on the Theory on the Social Production of Health]. / Determinação ou Determinantes? Uma discussão com base na Teoria da Produção Social da Saúde.

This article aims to discuss the concepts of Social Determination of Health and Social Determinants of Health, by establishing a comparison between each of their guiding perspectives and investigating their implications on the development of health policies and health actions. We propose a historical and conceptual reflection, highlighting the Theory on the Social Production of Health, followed by a debate on the concepts, with a comparative approach among them.

Characterization of Prorocentrum elegans and Prorocentrum levis (Dinophyceae) from the southeastern Bay of Biscay by morphology and molecular phylogeny.

Benthic Prorocentrum species can produce toxins that adversely affect animals and human health. They are known to co-occur with other bloom-forming, potentially toxic, benthic dinoflagellates of the genera Ostreopsis, Coolia, and Gambierdiscus. In this study, we report on the presence of P. elegans M.Faust and P. levis M.A.Faust, Kibler, Vandersea, P.A. Tester & Litaker from the southeastern Bay of Biscay. Sampling was carried out in the Summer-Autumn 2010-2012 along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, but these two species were only found in the northeastern part of the Peninsula. Strains were isolated from macroalgae collected from rocky-shore areas bordering accessible beaches. Morphological traits of isolated strains were analyzed by LM and SEM, whereas molecular analyses were performed using the LSU and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1-5.8S-ITS2 regions of the rDNA. A bioassay with Artemia fransciscana and liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses were used to check the toxicity of the species, whose results were negative. The strains mostly corresponded to their species original morphological characterization, which is supported by the phylogenetic analyses in the case of P. levis, whereas for P. elegans, this is the first known molecular characterization. This is also the second known report of P. elegans.

Effect of temperature on growth and yessotoxin production of Protoceratium reticulatum and Lingulodinium polyedra (Dinophyceae) isolates from the Portuguese coast (NE Atlantic).

The dinoflagellates Protoceratium reticulatum and Lingulodinium polyedra are potential yessotoxin (YTX) producers, which have been associated with blooms responsible for economic, social, and ecological impacts around the world. They occur in Iberian waters, but in this region, little is known of their ecophysiology and toxin profiles. This study investigated the growth and toxin production of two strains of each species, from the Portuguese coast, at 15 °C, 19 °C, and 23 °C. Growth curves showed higher growth rates at 19 °C, for both species. YTX and three analogs (homo YTX; 45-OH YTX; 45-OH homo YTX) were investigated by Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and the presence of other analogs was investigated by Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS). No evidence of toxin production was found in L. polyedra. By contrast, YTX and 45,55-diOH-YTX were detected in both strains of P. reticulatum. These results confirm P. reticulatum as a source of yessotoxins along the Portuguese coast and add to the observed high intraspecific variability on YTX production of both species, at a global scale.

Health Promoting Universities and the salutogenic theory: contemporary challenges in the Latin American reality.

The objective is to reflect on the existing articulation between Aaron Antonovsky's salutogenic theory and Health Promoting Universities, highlighting the challenges for the operationalization of health promotion actions in the Latin American university scenario in the contemporary world. The visible adherence of the ideas of the salutogenic theory to the guiding components of the Health Promoting Universities movement was identified, which has contributed to successful experiences around the world. Practices in the light of salutogenic theory can be considered effective strategies for improving the quality of life in the university setting; however, it is necessary for those involved to detach themselves so that the logic of acting based on a pathogenic process is broken. Furthermore, regional challenges in the Latin American reality must be understood and overcome with the support of public policies.

Social support and professional networks of nurses and nursing technicians in coping with Covid-19: A sectional study in two Brazilian cities.

Among healthcare workers, nurses are at exceptionally considerable risk for contracting COVID-19. Regardless of professionals' level of education, Brazilian nursing is one of the healthcare occupations shouldering the highest levels of responsibility and workload. Social support networks to health and nursing can be a strategy to reduce workload and stress and may contribute to implementing the activities and protecting workers' health. This study aimed to map and analyze social support networks at workplaces as informed by frontline nursing professionals working in healthcare units in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza, capitals of the States of Rio de Janeiro and Ceará, respectively. This observational and cross-sectional study used an online data collection instrument based on social network analysis methodology. We recruited 163 participants in two reference services for health professionals suspected or with COVID-19 symptoms. The research question was: "Which category or categories of health professionals have supported you or other colleagues the most in the event of diagnosis or suspicion of COVID-19 among nursing categories? Data were organized by nursing category and city and analyzed through social network analysis using Ucinet©, generating graphs and centrality metrics. Results point to the central relevance of nursing categories in the workplace social support in the pandemic, followed by other health professional categories.

State of the art on Advanced Nursing Practice: reflections for the agenda in Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: to review the state of the art on Advanced Nursing Practices. METHODS: a scoping review of existing publications up to 2020, in the PubMed/MEDLINE, SciELO, LILACS, BDENF, Web of Science and Scopus databases, identified by descriptors "Prática Avançada de Enfermagem" or "Advanced Practice Nursing". A total of 184 documents were selected. The characterization of this study was carried out, followed by the construction of an overview of different regions of the world. RESULTS: studies showed an increasing trend in the last decade, being present in all continents, although 43.5% correspond to opinion articles, comments, editorials and event reports. Even with similar aspects, the justifications for Advanced Nursing Practices reflect specific regional needs. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: the studies still lack methodological variety and emphasis on the specificities of countries and their health systems, in addition to greater detail on labor regulation, professional training and the impacts of these practices in nursing.

Catalytic activity imperative for nanoparticle dose enhancement in photon and proton therapy.

Nanoparticle-based radioenhancement is a promising strategy for extending the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy. While (pre)clinical results are encouraging, sound mechanistic understanding of nanoparticle radioenhancement, especially the effects of nanomaterial selection and irradiation conditions, has yet to be achieved. Here, we investigate the radioenhancement mechanisms of selected metal oxide nanomaterials (including SiO2, TiO2, WO3 and HfO2), TiN and Au nanoparticles for radiotherapy utilizing photons (150 kVp and 6 MV) and 100 MeV protons. While Au nanoparticles show outstanding radioenhancement properties in kV irradiation settings, where the photoelectric effect is dominant, these properties are attenuated to baseline levels for clinically more relevant irradiation with MV photons and protons. In contrast, HfO2 nanoparticles retain some of their radioenhancement properties in MV photon and proton therapies. Interestingly, TiO2 nanoparticles, which have a comparatively low effective atomic number, show significant radioenhancement efficacies in all three irradiation settings, which can be attributed to the strong radiocatalytic activity of TiO2, leading to the formation of hydroxyl radicals, and nuclear interactions with protons. Taken together, our data enable the extraction of general design criteria for nanoparticle radioenhancers for different treatment modalities, paving the way to performance-optimized nanotherapeutics for precision radiotherapy.

[Work context assessment in intensive therapy units from the perspective of work psychodynamics]. / Avaliação do contexto de trabalho em terapia intensiva sob o olhar da psicodinâmica do trabalho.

In view of the reorganization of working processes and changes in the profile of occupational illness, this article discusses on the occupational risks of falling ill among nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICU). This exploratory, cross-sectional, descriptive study was developed with a convenience sample of 44 subjects, workers at a private hospital. The Work Context Assessment Scale was used, which is composed of three factors. The results regarding the factor work organization indicated severe risks to the workers' health. Regarding the factor social-professional relationships the items showed moderate health risks. The assessment of the facto working conditions showed low risks to occupational health. The analysis was based on work psychodynamics, and on the criticism to the prevalence of the Taylor management model in nursing work. The study allowed for a better understanding of the subjectivity implied in nursing work and instigates to increase the focus of discussions on safety and occupational health to the context of the work organization.

Social control and nursing performance in defense of life in the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: to reflect on social control in health and the contributions that nursing can make to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: this is a theoretical reflection, elaborated from discussions based on literature and the experience of authors' performance in social control and in Primary Care. It is divided into two topics: the first, related to aspects of institutionalized social control; the second, related to the perspectives for nursing in this space. RESULTS: limits and relevant aspects for nurses' role in social control are presented, contributing to a perspective of praxis in health based on their ethical-political commitment and their technical competence in the coordination and management of care to face the pandemic. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: nurses' role in social control favors the strengthening of the struggle for the right to life above profits, especially through popular participation in the community context in Primary Care.

Crisis, work and nursing: an ethnographic narrative of the coronavirus pandemic in Primary Care in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: to narrate the experience of facing a long economic and political crisis and the experience of the arrival process of the coronavirus pandemic in a Spanish healthcare center. METHODS: this is a descriptive qualitative study with ethnographic analysis, with data collection through interviews, participant observation and field diary records. RESULTS: the immersion in the context allowed us to identify two axes of domain: "The crisis, work in the community and the territory in Primary Care"; "The inevitability of being a nurse in facing a health crisis". FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: the narrative portrays the ethics in field research, tensions and values of nursing work in crisis situations. Nurses' experiences are presented in narratives of dissatisfaction and difficulties, but with the support of values related to guaranteeing assistance to users and cooperation and solidarity in the collective organization of workers to face the COVID-19 crisis.

Infection and mortality of nursing personnel in Brazil from COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Health care personnel (HCP) worldwide are at-risk for contracting the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Among health care personnel, nurses are at a particularly high risk due to the physical proximity and duration of time spent providing direct care. Documenting accurate rates of COVID-19 infection and deaths among nurses worldwide has been problematic, and many countries such as the USA have no systematic mechanism for collecting this information. Brazil is unique in that it prioritized the implementation of a dedicated database, the Nursing Observatory to collect accurate and timely data regarding COVID-19 and Brazilian nursing personnel. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze COVID-19 infections and deaths among nurses registered in the centralized and dedicated Brazilian database called the Nursing Observatory. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using secondary data from the Brazilian Nursing Observatory was conducted. PARTICIPANTS: Data are reported for two occupational categories: professional Nurse and technical nurse by country regions. All cases or deaths of professional Nurse and technical nurse registered between the 12th and 31st epidemiological weeks of 2020 were included. METHODS: From a unique numerical identification, the appropriate records of nursing personnel affected by COVID-19 were entered by the Technical Responsible Nurse for each service, according to the condition regarding COVID-19. All suspected, confirmed or unconfirmed infections were considered "cases", and all confirmed or unconfirmed deceased as "deaths". Cases and deaths were analyzed according to the variables: 1. region of the country where the case occurred, 2. nursing category and 3. epidemiological week. Universal protocols for collecting and cleaning data were used throughout the country. Infection and mortality rates (per 100,000) were obtained from the relationship between deaths registered and the population of nursing personnel by category and region. RESULTS: Nursing personnel in the Northern, Northeast and Southeast Regions of Brazil had the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths overall with an ascending curve occurring mainly after Epidemiological Week 19. COVID-19 infections and deaths spread later to the Midwest and Southern regions also showing an ascending curve, although the total numbers were less. CONCLUSIONS: All occupational categories of nursing personnel showed higher than expected rates of infection and death. Inequalities and a lack of adequate healthcare resources, hospital beds and Personal Protective Equipment varied by region in Brazil. The politicization of COVID-19 and the lack of a coherent national pandemic plan is a factor to be taken into account. Tweetable abstract: This cross-sectional study shows the evolution of cases and deaths of Brazilian nursing personnel over the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nursings role in tuberculosis control: a discussion from the perspective of equity.

This paper aims to analyze nurses role in tuberculosis control from the perspective of equity in the context of Latin American countries. Tuberculosis is frequently associated with poverty, but many other determinants play an important role in its prevalence. Latin American countries fight against the presence of this illness and nursing professionals play a protagonist role in TB control, proposing comprehensive interventions in different spheres--individuals, families and society. The focus of nursing intervention ranges from public policy proposals, based on epidemiological research, through the establishment of multi-sector programs, to direct care and client education at the operative level. Different professional nursing institutions can play a decisive role in this problem integral approach, both in national and international scopes. This requires the establishment of educative, social, technical and politically integrated support networks.

[Changes in work and nursing education a perspective of popular and health education]. / Mudanças na formação e no trabalho de enfermagem: uma perspectiva da educação popular e de saúde.

This paper discusses the relationship between popular health education presuppositions and nursing education and work. It is divided into three parts: a presentation of Popular Education end Health field, with a brief historic, focusing some theoretical and methodological principles; discussion on pedagogic challenges related to nursing work and education, based on the curriculum of Faculty of Nursing - State University of Rio de Janeiro; and reflection about the potentiality of the insertion of theoretical-methodological elements of popular education and health field in nursing undergraduate curriculum as a way of supporting a critical-reflexive perspective in education, giving answers to health reality challenges, and to fortify pedagogic dimension of professional exercise towards democratic advances of Brazilian Health Care System.

Case management nurse in Spain: facing the challenge of chronicity through a comprehensive practice. / A enfermeira gestora de casos na Espanha: enfrentando o desafio da cronicidade por meio de uma prática integral.

A new type of nurse role was established in the Spanish health care system in the late 1990s, currently called case manager nurse, to ensure access to resources needed to cope with chronic conditions and comprehensive home care. This paper aims to present this figure and discuss aspects of its work. The methodology was based on the bibliographic review of papers and normative publications and interviews with primary health care nurses, nursing faculty, and case management nurses. We present a brief history of the implementation of the case manager nurse role and the conceptual and operational bases of her practice in three autonomous Spanish communities: Andalusia, Valencian Community, and Basque Country, discussing potentialities and issues concerning this practice. In the conclusions, we make some considerations on the possible implementation of the case manager nurse in the Brazilian health system.

Em fins da década de 1990, instituiu-se um novo tipo de atuação para a enfermeira no sistema de saúde espanhol, denominada atualmente de enfermeira gestora de casos, com vistas à garantia do acesso aos recursos necessários para o enfrentamento das condições de cronicidade e atendimento integral no domicílio. O objetivo do artigo é o de apresentar essa figura e discutir aspectos de sua atuação. A metodologia baseou-se em revisão bibliográfica de artigos e publicações normativas e entrevistas com enfermeiras de Atenção Primária de Saúde, docentes de enfermagem e enfermeiras gestoras de casos. Apresenta-se um breve histórico de implantação da enfermeira gestora de casos e as bases conceituais e operacionais de sua prática em três comunidades autônomas espanholas: Andaluzia, Comunidade Valenciana e País Basco, discutindo potencialidades e questões a respeito dessa atuação dentro de um sistema de saúde de características universais. Nas conclusões, são tecidas algumas considerações a respeito das possibilidades para a implantação da figura da enfermeira gestora de casos no sistema brasileiro de saúde.

Pandemics, crisis conjunctures, and professional practices: what is the role of nursing with regard to Covid-19?

OBJECTIVE: to discuss the role of Brazilian nursing to face political, economic and sanitary challenges that compose the crisis situation related to Covid-19 pandemics. METHODS: Critical-thinking study with analytics characteristics, based on latin-american critical epidemiology and on the concept of social determination of health. RESULTS: the central issues related to the Brazilian political-economic and health scenario are problematized, with emphasis on the impacts in terms of social inequality deepening. Nursing role is discussed considering the impacts in these worker's health, and the relevance of nurses' actions in the several professional practice scenarios to defend social protection. CONCLUSIONS: the role of Brazilian nursing as a social practice for the defense of life and universal access to health is reaffirmed as a way of achieving social justice.

Perceptions of Spanish nurses on economic crisis and the impacts on health care system.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the perceptions of Spanish nurses regarding the country's economic crisis situation, and its impacts on nursing work, health system and population's health. METHODS: qualitative approach, with data collection using an internet-based questionnaire and individual in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed according to Thematic-Categorical Content Analysis, supported by Historical and Dialectical Materialism perspective. RESULTS: the categories produced discuss themes as: cutbacks in health care and the consequences of workforce non-replacement and work overload; salary impact; care model changes; negative impacts on population health. The impact on population health and work was discussed, especially regarding vulnerable groups, as well as in assistance model reconfiguration, reinforcing the biomedical and assistance perspective.

Ocurrence of Ostreopsis in two temperate coastal bays (SW iberia): Insights from the plankton.

The benthic genus Ostreopsis contains toxic-bloom forming species and is an important cause of concern in warm-temperate and tropical waters. On the coast of Portugal, NE Atlantic, the occurrence of Ostreopsis cf. siamensis and Ostreopsis cf. ovata has been reported since 2008 and 2011, respectively. This work aims to understand the favorable conditions for high concentrations of Ostreopsis cells in the plankton at two sites, Lagos and Lisbon Bays, located in the South and West coast of Portugal, respectively. This study is based on weekly Ostreopsis abundance data in the plankton, from 2011 to 2017, daily satellite and in situ sea surface temperature (SST), and meteorological and sea state parameters, namely wind stress and significant wave height. The molecular identification of local Ostreopsis spp. is also presented. The maximum cell densities occur between late-summer and autumn. The distribution range of Ostreopsis cf. ovata is restricted to the South coast, while Ostreopsis cf. siamensis has a wider distribution range, being also present on the West coast. In the study period, there was only one occurrence of Ostreopsis spp., in Lagos Bay, with concentrations within the alert phase of monitoring. In Lagos Bay, high Ostreopsis spp. concentrations were related with positive SST anomalies. These high concentrations were often recorded after a period of almost 2-weeks to more than 4-weeks of low sea state (<0.6 m), followed by short time events of onshore wind and moderate waves (0.6-1 m). The former conditions are interpreted as favoring bloom development on the substrate and the latter as causing the re-suspension of Ostreopsis cells in the water column. In Lisbon Bay, O. cf. siamensis occurred in the plankton in few occasions and no clear relation could be established with the studied environmental variables. It is here hypothesized that the recent records of O. cf. siamensis in Lisbon Bay may correspond to an early colonization stage of an invasion process. Knowledge gained on Ostreopsis dynamics along the Portuguese coast can be used for both the improvement of benthic harmful algal blooms (BHABs) monitoring in the region and as a basis to design forecasting models.