Between invisibility and resistance: indigenous health and demography during the Brazilian military dictatorship. / Entre invisibilidade e resistência: saúde e demografia indígenas durante a ditadura militar brasileira.

This article aims to systematize and analyze, from a historical perspective, the discussions that permeated the topic of indigenous health in interface with the demography of these populations, based on the political dimension that the quantification of indigenous peoples assumed during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Covering an extensive period that extends from the establishment of the Indian Protection Service in 1910 until the end of the 1980s, this article offers a comprehensive view of the topic. The analysis focuses primarily on the 1970s, highlighting the actors involved in this debate: indigenous leaders, indigenists, academics, health professionals, and missionaries.

Este artigo tem por objetivo sistematizar e analisar em perspectiva histórica as discussões que permearam o tema da saúde indígena em interface com a demografia dessas populações, partindo da dimensão política que a quantificação dos povos indígenas assumiu durante a ditadura militar no Brasil. Abrangendo um extenso período que se estende do estabelecimento do Serviço de Proteção aos Índios em 1910 até o fim dos anos 1980, busca-se oferecer uma visão ampliada sobre o tema. O foco da análise recai especialmente nos anos 1970, destacando os atores envolvidos neste debate: lideranças indígenas, indigenistas, acadêmicos, profissionais de saúde e missionários.

Epigenetics Regulation in Responses to Abiotic Factors in Plant Species: A Systematic Review.

Plants have several mechanisms to adapt or acclimate to environmental stress. Morphological, physiological, or genetic changes are examples of complex plant responses. In recent years, our understanding of the role of epigenetic regulation, which encompasses changes that do not alter the DNA sequence, as an adaptive mechanism in response to stressful conditions has advanced significantly. Some studies elucidated and synthesized epigenetic mechanisms and their relationships with environmental change, while others explored the interplay between epigenetic modifications and environmental shifts, aiming to deepen our understanding of these complex processes. In this study, we performed a systematic review of the literature to analyze the progression of epigenetics studies on plant species' responses to abiotic factors. We also aimed to identify the most studied species, the type of abiotic factor studied, and the epigenetic technique most used in the scientific literature. For this, a search for articles in databases was carried out, and after analyzing them using pre-established inclusion criteria, a total of 401 studies were found. The most studied species were Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, highlighting the gap in studies of non-economic and tropical plant species. Methylome DNA sequencing is the main technique used for the detection of epigenetic interactions in published studies. Furthermore, most studies sought to understand the plant responses to abiotic changes in temperature, water, and salinity. It is worth emphasizing further research is necessary to establish a correlation between epigenetic responses and abiotic factors, such as extreme temperatures and light, associated with climate change.

Testing Theories of the Glass Transition with the Same Liquid but Many Kinetic Rules.

We study the glass transition by exploring a broad class of kinetic rules that can significantly modify the normal dynamics of supercooled liquids while maintaining thermal equilibrium. Beyond the usual dynamics of liquids, this class includes dynamics in which a fraction (1-f_{R}) of the particles can perform pairwise exchange or "swap moves," while a fraction f_{P} of the particles can move only along restricted directions. We find that (i) the location of the glass transition varies greatly but smoothly as f_{P} and f_{R} change and (ii) it is governed by a linear combination of f_{P} and f_{R}. (iii) Dynamical heterogeneities (DHs) are not governed by the static structure of the material; their magnitude correlates instead with the relaxation time. (iv) We show that a recent theory for temporal growth of DHs based on thermal avalanches holds quantitatively throughout the (f_{R},f_{P}) diagram. These observations are negative items for some existing theories of the glass transition, particularly those reliant on growing thermodynamic order or locally favored structure, and open new avenues to test other approaches, as we illustrate.

Entre invisibilidade e resistência: saúde e demografia indígenas durante a ditadura militar brasileira / Between invisibility and resistance: indigenous health and demography during the Brazilian military dictatorship

Resumo Este artigo tem por objetivo sistematizar e analisar em perspectiva histórica as discussões que permearam o tema da saúde indígena em interface com a demografia dessas populações, partindo da dimensão política que a quantificação dos povos indígenas assumiu durante a ditadura militar no Brasil. Abrangendo um extenso período que se estende do estabelecimento do Serviço de Proteção aos Índios em 1910 até o fim dos anos 1980, busca-se oferecer uma visão ampliada sobre o tema. O foco da análise recai especialmente nos anos 1970, destacando os atores envolvidos neste debate: lideranças indígenas, indigenistas, acadêmicos, profissionais de saúde e missionários.

Abstract This article aims to systematize and analyze, from a historical perspective, the discussions that permeated the topic of indigenous health in interface with the demography of these populations, based on the political dimension that the quantification of indigenous peoples assumed during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Covering an extensive period that extends from the establishment of the Indian Protection Service in 1910 until the end of the 1980s, this article offers a comprehensive view of the topic. The analysis focuses primarily on the 1970s, highlighting the actors involved in this debate: indigenous leaders, indigenists, academics, health professionals, and missionaries.

Physics scientific events in Brazil: Female participation.

It is known that diversity matters to improve scientific excellence and that scientific events are important occasions to discuss new ideas and create networks, beyond the fact that it helps to put the work of the scientists in evidence. Hence, increasing diversity in scientific events is crucial to improve their scientific quality and help to promote minorities. In Brazil, important physics scientific events are organized by the Brazilian Physical Society (SBF, in Portuguese), and in this work, some aspects related to the participation of women in these physics events are analyzed from 2005 to 2021. The analysis shows that women's participation has increased over the years, reaching in some areas of Physics the same percentage as the one observed in the SBF community (always below 25%). However, female participation as members of organizing committees and as keynote speakers is always lower. Some proposals are listed to change the current picture of inequality.

Hierarchical structured surfaces enhance the contact angle of the hydrophobic (meta-stable) state.

The relation between wetting properties and geometric parameters of fractal surfaces are widely discussed on the literature and, however, there are still divergences on this topic. Here we propose a simple theoretical model to describe the wetting properties of a droplet of water placed on a hierarchical structured surface and test the predictions of the model and the dependence of the droplet wetting state on the initial conditions using simulation of the 3-spin Potts model. We show that increasing the auto-similarity level of the hierarchy - called n - does not affect considerably the stable wetting state of the droplet but increases its contact angle. Simulations also explicit the existence of metastable states on this type of surfaces and shows that, when n increases, the metastability becomes more pronounced. Finally we show that the fractal dimension of the surface is not a good predictor of the contact angle of the droplet.

Semicidadania induzida: neoliberalismo e discursos conservadores sobre gênero no Brasil / Induced semi-citizenship: neoliberalism and conservative discourses about gender in Brazil / Semi-ciudinducidaadanía: neoliberalismo y discursos conservadores sobre género en Brasil

O presente artigo trata de discutir algumas questões referentes ao cenário social e político brasileiro. Ainda que esteja previsto em lei a universalidade de direitos, alguns grupos de pessoas são sistematicamente vulnerabilizados e excluídos, o que se complexifica a depender dos diferentes fatores que atravessam interseccionalmente seus corpos e experiências, entre eles, gênero, sexualidade, classe, raça, etnia. Essa situação se agrava com a ascensão de certos grupos e discursos, os quais discutimos três: conservadorismo, neopentecostalismo e neoliberalismo. Mesmo que eles sejam heterogêneos, guardando entre si diferenças importantes, atuam em conjunto em diversas circunstâncias. Apresentamos uma leitura desse cenário, estabelecendo relações entre os elementos apresentados que são produtores de subjetividades e de formas de relações específicas. (AU)

This article discusses some issues related to the Brazilian social and political scenario. Although the universality of rights is provided by law, some groups of people are systematically vulnerable and excluded, which becomes more complex depending on the different factors that intersecttheir bodies and experiences, including gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnicity. This situation worsens with the rise of certain groups and discourses, which we discuss three: conservatism, neopentecostalism and neoliberalism. Even though they are heterogeneous, keeping important differences between them, theywork together in different circumstances. We present a reading of this scenario, establishing relationships between the elements presented that are producers of subjectivities and forms of specific relationships. (AU)

Este artículo analiza algunos temas relacionados con el escenario social y político brasileño. Si bien la universalidad de los derechos está prevista por la ley, algunos grupos de personas son sistemáticamente vulnerablesy excluidos, lo que se vuelve más complejo en función de los diferentes factores que cruzan de manera intersectorial sus cuerpos y experiencias, entre ellos género, sexualidad, clase, raza, etnia. Esta situación se ve agravada por el surgimiento de ciertos grupos y discursos, de los que discutimos tres: conservadurismo, neopentecostalismo y neoliberalismo. Aunque son heterogéneos, con importantes diferencias entre ellos, actúan juntos en diferentes circunstancias. Presentamos una lectura de este escenario,estableciendo relaciones entre los elementos presentados que producen subjetividades y formas específicas de relación.(AU)

2016 Left ventricular diastolic function guideline have better prognostic value than 2009 guideline in patients with acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Brazil and worldwide. In the context of diastolic dysfunction, echocardiography is the best non-invasive diagnostic method. However, the comparison of the two main guidelines for evaluate left ventricular diastolic function in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is scarce. OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic value of both guidelines of American Society of Echocardiography, from 2009 and 2016, in patients with ACS. METHODS: This is a sub-analysis of a prospective cohort observational study with 109 patients admitted to the emergency with ACS. The follow up was performed within 1 year and combined outcome was cardiovascular death or new heart failure. We used the non-parametric Spearman method to assess the correlation between the categories of diastolic function according to the guideline used. The Cox model and the Log rank test with Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare the prognostic value of categorizing patients according to the guideline used. The results were expressed as hazard ratio with a confidence interval of 95%. RESULTS: The mean age was 63 years ± 11, most male patients (73.4%) and the predominant color of patients was white (60.4%). Among the main risk factors, the most frequent for coronary artery disease was dyslipidemia (78%), followed by systemic arterial hypertension (77.1%) and sedentary lifestyle (65.9%). The study identified a mean borderline ejection fraction, a high E/E' ratio, and LV diastolic and systolic volumes presented means above normal. The most common electrocardiographic change on admission was T-wave inversion (45%), and NSTEMI was the main clinical diagnosis (74%). The categories in which there was a greater disagreement between the guidelines were grade II diastolic dysfunction and normal function. The correlation between the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction when compared to the use of the 2009 and 2016 guidelines was weak (R = 0.56 by Spearman's method; p<0.001). By the Kaplan-Meier curves, dividing the groups into with or without LA pressure elevation, the distinction between the evolution of the two groups is significant when performed by the 2016 guideline (Log Rank = 8.17; p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The current guideline (2016) for the assessment of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction showed a higher prognostic value of combined outcome of cardiovascular death or new heart failure within one year, when compared to the guideline of 2009 in patients.

Modeling oil-water separation with controlled wetting properties.

Several oil-water separation techniques have been proposed to improve the capacity of cleaning water. With the technological possibility of producing materials with antagonist wetting behavior, for example, a substrate that repels water and absorbs oil, the understanding of the properties that control this selective capacity has increased with the goal of being used as the mechanism to separate mixed liquids. Besides the experimental advance in this field, less is known from the theoretical side. In this work, we propose a theoretical model to predict the wetting properties of a given substrate and introduce simulations with a four-spin cellular Potts model to study its efficiency in separating water from oil. Our results show that the efficiency of the substrates depends both on the interaction between the liquids and on the wetting behavior of the substrates itself. The water behavior of the droplet composed of both liquids is roughly controlled by the hydrophobicity of the substrate. Predicting the oil behavior, however, is more complex because the substrate being oleophilic does not guarantee that the total amount of oil present on the droplet will be absorbed by the substrate. For both types of substrates considered in this work, pillared and porous with a reservoir, there is always an amount of reminiscent oil on the droplet, which is not absorbed by the substrate due to the interaction with the water and the gas. Both theoretical and numerical models can be easily modified to analyze other types of substrates and liquids.

Echocardiographic Follow-up of Perinatally HIV-infected Children and Adolescents: Results From a Single-center Retrospective Cohort Study in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The effects of HIV and antiretroviral therapy on cardiovascular system of perinatally infected children throughout their development are not fully understood. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in a retrospective cohort of perinatally HIV-infected patients and to investigate associations between echocardiographic and clinical data during their follow-up. METHODS: Review of medical records and echocardiogram reports of 148 perinatally HIV-infected patients between January 1991 and December 2015. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighty echocardiograms were analyzed and 46 (31%) patients showed cardiac abnormalities, frequently subclinical and transient. Nadir CD4 count was higher in patients with consistently normal echocardiogram: 263 (4-1480) versus 202 (5-1746) cells/µL, P = 0.021. Right ventricular (RV) dilation was detected in 18.9%, left ventricular (LV) dilation in 21.6%, septal hypertrophy in 12.2%, LV posterior wall hypertrophy in 6%, LV systolic dysfunction in 8% and pulmonary hypertension in 8.7% of patients. Opportunistic infections were associated with RV dilation [odds ratio (OR = 4.34; 1.78-10.53; P < 0.01)], pulmonary hypertension (OR = 8.78; 2.80-27.51; P < 0.01) and LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 5.38; 1.55-18.71; P < 0.01). Longer duration of highly active antiretroviral therapy was associated with reduced risk of LV dilation (OR = 0.91; 0.85-0.97; P < 0.01) and systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.71; 0.59-0.85; P < 0.01). Protease inhibitors use was associated with reduced risk of RV dilation (OR = 0.54; 0.30-0.97; P < 0.05), LV dilation (OR = 0.35; 0.21-0.60; P < 0.01) and LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.07; 0.02-0.31; P < 0.01). Higher CD4 count was associated with lower risk of LV systolic dysfunction (OR = 0.82; 0.69-0.98; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Echocardiograms identified cardiac abnormalities among children with perinatally acquired HIV infection, and data suggest that immunologic status and therapeutic strategies throughout development can influence cardiac disease burden in this population.

Geometric and chemical nonuniformity may induce the stability of more than one wetting state in the same hydrophobic surface.

It is well established that roughness and chemistry play a crucial role in the wetting properties of a substrate. Yet, few studies have analyzed systematically the effect of the nonuniformity in the distribution of texture and surface tension of substrates on its wetting properties. In this work we investigate this issue theoretically and numerically. We propose a continuous model that takes into account the total energy required to create interfaces of a droplet in two possible wetting states: Cassie-Baxter (CB) with air pockets trapped underneath the droplet; and the other characterized by the homogeneous wetting of the surface, called the Wenzel (W) state. To introduce geometrical nonregularity we suppose that pillar heights and pillar distances are Gaussian distributed instead of having a constant value. Similarly, we suppose a heterogeneous distribution of Young's angle on the surface to take into account the chemical nonuniformity. This allows to vary the "amount" of disorder by changing the variance of the distribution. We first solve this model analytically and then we also propose a numerical version of it, which can be applied to study any type of disorder. In both versions, we employ the same physical idea: The energies of both states are minimized to predict the thermodynamic wetting state of the droplet for a given volume and surface texture. We find that the main effect of disorder is to induce the stability of both wetting states on the same substrate. In terms of the influence of the disorder on the contact angle of the droplet, we find that it is negligible for the chemical disorder and for pillar-distance disorder. However, in the case of pillar-height disorder, it is observed that the average contact angle of the droplet increases with the amount of disorder. We end the paper investigating how the region of stability of both wetting states behaves when the droplet volume changes.

Diálogos entre indigenismo e Reforma Sanitária: bases discursivas da criação do subsistema de saúde indígena / Dialogues between indigenism and Health Reform: discursive bases of the creation of the indigenous health subsystem

RESUMO Em 23 de setembro de 1999, foi aprovada a criação do subsistema de saúde indígena no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde. Neste trabalho, analisamos as bases discursivas de convergência e conflitos entre discursos indigenistas e da Reforma Sanitária, que nos permitem refletir sobre esse processo que consideramos configurar uma 'longa' Reforma Sanitária indígena. Utilizamos como referencial teórico a perspectiva da teoria de Stephen Ball, para analisar documentos produzidos por atores indigenistas (Fundação Nacional do Índio - Funai, Conselho Indigenista Missionário - Cimi e União das Nações Indígenas - UNI) e pelo Movimento da Reforma Sanitária. Apontamos evidências da utilização por indígenas e indigenistas dos argumentos e das propostas da Reforma Sanitária, e, por outro lado, o envolvimento estratégico de Sergio Arouca nos debates da saúde indígena. Os pontos de convergência se localizam principalmente na crítica ao modelo biomédico, à aproximação das propostas da atenção primária e do conceito ampliado de saúde. Os conflitos se relacionaram principalmente quanto à operacionalização do subsistema, mas o discurso indigenista, contrário à municipalização, encontrou na distritalização uma proposta legitimada na Reforma Sanitária.

ABSTRACT On September 23, 1999, the indigenous health subsystem was created within the scope of the Unified Health System. In this work, we analyze the discursive bases of convergence and conflicts between indigenist discourses and the health reform, which allow us to reflect on this process which we consider a 'long' indigenous health reform. We used as reference the perspective of Stephen Ball's theory, to analyze documents produced by indigenist actors (National Indian Foundation - Funai, Indian Missionary Council - Cimi and Union of Indigenous Nations - UNI) and the Health Reform Movement. We point to evidence of indigenous and indigenist use of arguments and proposals for sanitary reform and, on the other hand, the strategic involvement of Sergio Arouca in indigenous health events. The points of convergence are located mainly in the critique of the biomedical model, the approximation of primary care proposals, and the concept of health. Conflicts were mainly related to the operationalization of the subsystem, but the indigenist discourse, contrary to municipalization, found in the district process a proposal legitimized in the Health Reform.

Universality of jamming of nonspherical particles.

Amorphous packings of nonspherical particles such as ellipsoids and spherocylinders are known to be hypostatic: The number of mechanical contacts between particles is smaller than the number of degrees of freedom, thus violating Maxwell's mechanical stability criterion. In this work, we propose a general theory of hypostatic amorphous packings and the associated jamming transition. First, we show that many systems fall into a same universality class. As an example, we explicitly map ellipsoids into a system of "breathing" particles. We show by using a marginal stability argument that in both cases jammed packings are hypostatic and that the critical exponents related to the contact number and the vibrational density of states are the same. Furthermore, we introduce a generalized perceptron model which can be solved analytically by the replica method. The analytical solution predicts critical exponents in the same hypostatic jamming universality class. Our analysis further reveals that the force and gap distributions of hypostatic jamming do not show power-law behavior, in marked contrast to the isostatic jamming of spherical particles. Finally, we confirm our theoretical predictions by numerical simulations.

Mulheres, travestis e transexuais: interseções de gênero em documentos de políticas públicas / Women, transvestites and transsexuals: gender intersections in public policies documents

Este artigo apresenta uma análise das concepções de gênero presentes no documento "Política nacional de enfrentamento à violência contra as mulheres (2011)", que propõe diretrizes para o enfrentamento da violência de gênero, e na "Resolução do Conselho Municipal de Educação de Belo Horizonte n. 002 (2008)", que propõe a inclusão de travestis e transexuais na escola a partir da prerrogativa do uso do nome social. A análise documental foi realizada a partir de seis categorias: contexto de produção do documento; filiação institucional dos autores; autenticidade e confiabilidade do documento; natureza do texto; conceitos chave; e lógica interna do texto. Os documentos refletem, não sem contradições, os processos recentes da história brasileira que buscam construir e afirmar uma sociedade democrática e respeitosa dos direitos de seus cidadãos. Apesar de muitos avanços políticos e conceituais, o binarismo de gênero ainda atravessa essas políticas públicas.

This paper analyzes gender conceptions present in the document "National Policy to Confront Violence against Women (2011)", which proposes action guidelines to the confrontation against gender violence and the "Resolution of the Municipal Board of Education of Belo Horizonte n. 002 (2008)", which proposes the insertion of transvestites and transsexuals in schools by means of the use of each person's social name. The documentation analysis was fulfilled based on six categories; context of document production, institutional author membership; authenticity and document confiability; text nature; key concepts and textual internal logical. The documents reflect, however not without contradiction, the recent Brazilian history processes which search to achieve and claim a democratic and respectful society to the citizens rights. Although much advances in politics and gender had been made, a lot of binarisms concepts still crosses these public politics.

Geographic and Gender Diversity in the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.

Recent studies have shown that diversity in race and gender is important to improve competitiveness, creativity and innovation. However, many studies have shown that the universe of science is not diverse in none of these criteria. In this work, we quantify the gender and geographic diversity in the Brazilian science. We study in detail the profile of the titular members of the most prestigious academic institution of Brazil, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC). Our analysis shows that the members of the ABC concentrates 80% in the Southeast region and that the overwhelming majority is composed by men. We show that female and male researchers have roughly the same amount of publication per year but women produce more human resources. Using the Brazilian Researchers' Fellowship databank we show that the gender and diversity both in gender and in geography decreases along the researchers' career.

Conselho tutelar: rede de apoio socioafetiva para famílias em situação de risco? / Guardianship council: socio-affective support network for families at risk?

Buscou-se identificar as interações estabelecidas entre profissionais do Conselho Tutelar e famílias de crianças e adolescentes acompanhadas por este serviço, verificando se este órgão atua enquanto rede de apoio social e afetiva para estas famílias. Foram realizadas seis entrevistas com conselheiros (as) e seis com familiares de crianças e adolescentes atendidas por este serviço. Os (as) conselheiros (as) apresentaram bons conhecimentos sobre o Sistema de Garantia de Direitos, embora atribuam exclusivamente às famílias as causas da situação que motivou a busca ao serviço, desconsiderando o papel do Estado e da sociedade na garantia dos direitos. Percebeu-se um afastamento afetivo entre os profissionais e usuários do Conselho Tutelar, o que prejudicou o reconhecimento deste órgão enquanto rede de apoio para as famílias. Corroborou-se a centralidade dos processos proximais enquanto promotor do desenvolvimento humano, já que mudanças nestes processos produziram mudanças em outros aspectos da vida da pessoa.(AU)

It was sought to identify the interactions established between professionals of the Guardianship Council and families of children and adolescents accompanied by this service, verifying if this service acts as a social and affective support network for these families. Six interviews were conducted with counselors and six with family members of children and adolescents assisted by this service. The counselors presented good knowledge about the System of Rights' Guarantee, although they attributed exclusively to the families the causes of the situation that motivated the search for the service, disregarding the role of the State and society in guaranteeing their rights. There was an affective gap between professionals and users of the Guardianship Council, which weakened the recognition of this service as a support network for families. The centrality of the proximal processes as a promoter of human development was corroborated, since changes in these processes produced changes in other aspects of the person's life.(AU)

Rastreio da condição de fragilidade em idosos internados em um Hospital Universitário / Screening of the Fragility Condition in Older Patients in a University Hospital

Introdução: a síndrome de fragilidade é um tema de pesquisa recente e requer investigação adicional em todos os aspectos, incluindo sobre as variáveis demográficas. Várias orientações recentes recomendam o rastreio de rotina em relação à fragilidade em idosos, sobretudo em ambientes clínicos mais adversos, como no âmbito de uma hospitalização. Objetivos: identificar a prevalência de síndrome de fragilidade em idosos internados nas enfermarias de um hospital universitário, suas características e associação com variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas. Métodos: estudo de modelo observacional e Recebido em: 04/12/2017 transversal, de abordagem quantitativa, em que foram entrevistados 100 pacientes com idade maior ou igual a 60 anos, utilizando-se um instrumento contendo questionário sociodemográfico, a Escala de Fragilidade de Edmonton (EFE) e o Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Resultados: a média de idade da amostra foi de 70,9 (±8,25) anos, 61% do sexo masculino. Através da aplicação da EFE, a prevalência de fragilidade foi de 73%, 21% na categoria grave, enquanto pelo TFI, a prevalência foi de 62%. A síndrome de fragilidade relacionou- -se com idade, histórico de internações, número de medicamentos e apoio social. Conclusões: a prevalência da condição de fragilidade observada, superior àquela registrada entre idosos hospitalizados, indica que esses pacientes deveriam ser submetidos a uma avaliação geriátrica abrangente, e não apenas serem atendidos como pacientes adultos de outras faixas de idade. Nesse sentido, a utilização de instrumentos de avaliação e fragilidade poderia ser uma forma de valorizar esta síndrome geriátrica de alta prevalência nessa população.

Introduction: Fragility syndrome is a recent research topic and requires additional research in all aspects, including demographic variables. Several recent guidelines recommend routine screening for frailty in the elderly, especially in more adverse clinical settings, such as in a hospital setting. Objectives: To identify the prevalence of fragility syndrome in the elderly hospitalized in university hospital wards, its characteristics and association with sociodemographic and clinical variables. Methods: an observational and crosssectional study of 100 patients aged 60 years and older using an instrument containing a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Edmonton Fragility Scale (EFE) and the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Results: the mean age of the sample was 70,9 (± 8,25) years, 61% of the male years. Through the application of EFE, the prevalence of fragility was 73%, 21% in the severe category, whereas by the TFI, the prevalence was 62%. The fragility syndrome was correlated to age, hospitalization history, number of medications and social support. Conclusions: the prevalence of the observed fragility condition, wich was higher than that observed among hospitalized elderly, indicates that these patients should undergo a comprehensive geriatric evaluation, and not only be treated as adult patients of other age groups. This, the use of evaluation and fragility instruments could be a way of valuing this geriatric syndrome of high prevalence in this population.

Wettability of Reentrant Surfaces: A Global Energy Approach.

In this work, we consider two possible wetting states for a droplet when placed on a substrate: the Fakir configuration of a Cassie-Baxter (CB) state with a droplet residing on top of roughness grooves and the one characterized by the homogeneous wetting of the surface, referred as the Wenzel (W) state. We extend a theoretical model based on the global interfacial energies for both states CB and W to study the wetting behavior of simple and double reentrant surfaces. Due to the minimization of the energies associated with each wetting state, we predict the thermodynamic wetting state of the droplet for a given surface texture and obtain its contact angle θC. We first use this model to find the geometries for pillared, simple and double reentrant surfaces that most enhances θC and conclude that the repellent behavior of these surfaces is governed by the relation between the height and width of the reentrances. We compare our results with recent experiments and discuss the limitations of this thermodynamic approach. To address one of these limitations, we implement Monte Carlo simulations of the cellular Potts Model in three dimensions, which allow us to investigate the dependency of the wetting state on the initial state of the droplet. We find that when the droplet is initialized in a CB state, it gets trapped in a local minimum and stays in the repellent behavior irrespective of the theoretical prediction. When the initial state is W, simulations show a good agreement with theory for pillared surfaces for all geometries, but for reentrant surfaces the agreement only happens in few cases: for most simulated geometries the contact angle reached by the droplet in simulations is higher than θC predicted by the model. Moreover, we find that the contact angle of the simulated droplet is higher when placed on the reentrant surfaces than for a pillared surfaces with the same height, width and pillar distance.

Parasites and steroid hormones: corticosteroid and sex steroid synthesis, their role in the parasite physiology and development.

In many cases parasites display highly complex life cycles that include the penetration and permanence of the larva or adults within host organs, but even in those that only have one host, reciprocal, intricate interactions occur. Evidence indicates that steroid hormones have an influence on the development and course of parasitic infections. The host gender's susceptibility to infection, and the related differences in the immune response are good examples of the host-parasite interplay. However, the capacity of these organisms to synthesize their own steroidogenic hormones still has more questions than answers. It is now well-known that many parasites synthesize ecdysteroids, but limited information is available on sex steroid and corticosteroid synthesis. This review intends to summarize some of the existing information in the field. In most, but not all parasitosis the host's hormonal environment determines the susceptibility, the course, and severity of parasite infections. In most cases the infection disturbs the host environment, and activates immune responses that end up affecting the endocrine system. Furthermore, sex steroids and corticosteroids may also directly modify the parasite reproduction and molting. Available information indicates that parasites synthesize some steroid hormones, such as ecdysteroids and sex steroids, and the presence and activity of related enzymes have been demonstrated. More recently, the synthesis of corticosteroid-like compounds has been shown in Taenia solium cysticerci and tapeworms, and in Taenia crassiceps WFU cysticerci. In-depth knowledge of the parasite's endocrine properties will contribute to understand their reproduction and reciprocal interactions with the host, and may also help designing tools to combat the infection in some clinical situations.