Epworth sleepiness scale: A meta-analytic study on the internal consistency.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is one of the most used self-reported instruments to assess sleepiness. Thus, several adaptations into different Languages have been performed worldwide over the years. The scale has produced disparate psychometric properties when applied in different settings. In the current study, our aim was to perform a Reliability Generalization meta-analysis of the Cronbachá¾½s alphas of all published studies on ESS, specifically with a psychometric focus. PATIENTS/METHODS: Three reference databases (Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science) were searched since 1991 to October 2022 and all the records on psychometric or validation studies that reported Cronbach's alphas, from clinical and nonclinical groups, were included. In total, data from 46 publications (63 estimates) were extracted, comprising 92,503 participants. RESULTS: Using a Random-Effects Model, the cumulative Cronbach's alpha for the 63 estimates was about 0.82 (CI: 0.798, 0.832) which can be considered as a good measure. However, and as expected, it was observed a high level of heterogeneity (I2 = 98.96%). Moderation analyses considering setting, date, continent, risk of bias, sex, age and language were performed in order to account for the heterogeneity. Even so, only the variables study setting and continent were significant, and had little importance in explaining the heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: The ESS is a reliable tool to measure sleepiness; however, further studies are needed to investigate what variables might explain the observed variability. Moreover, it will be important to include empirical studies beyond psychometric ones.

Edible ectomycorrhizal fungi and Cistaceae. A study on compatibility and fungal ecological strategies.

Wild edible mycorrhizal mushrooms are among the most appreciated and prized mushrooms in the world. Despite the cultivation of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) mushrooms has been a growing subject of study worldwide, it has been hampered by the mutualistic lifestyle of the fungi. Although not being obligate symbionts, most of the species of ECM mushrooms only produce fruit bodies in association with trees or shrubs. In the present study, we aimed at understanding certain aspects of the ecology of four different edible ECM fungi: Lactarius deliciosus, Tricholoma equestre, T. portentosum and Boletus fragrans. Despite having a broad distribution worldwide, these fungi inhabit also Mediterranean habitats with understories typically dominated by rockroses (Cistaceae). Studying the ecology of these mutualistic fungi as well as the interaction with these species of shrubs is not only scientifically relevant but also pivotal for the discovery of profitable cultivation protocols. We evaluated the compatibility of these ECM species with five species within Cistaceae family - Cistus ladanifer, C. psilosepalus, C. salviifolius, Halimium halimifolium and Tuberaria lignosa. Each species of fungi proved to be able to establish mycorrhizas with at least 2 different plants species but varied in their host range of the tested Cistaceae. The dissimilarity in terms of host specificity between some fungal species seemed to be connected with the phylogenetic distances of the fungi. A correlation between the colonization percentage of the root systems and the mycelial growth rates in pure culture was found. The connection of these traits might be an important key to understanding the ecological competitor-colonizer tradeoffs of these ECM fungal species. Altogether, our study reports unknown plant-fungi combinations with economical relevance and also adds new insights about the ecology of these species of ECM fungi.

Increasing Selenium and Vitamin E in Dairy Cow Milk Improves the Quality of the Milk as Food for Children.

In this study, we investigated the beneficial effects of milk biofortified with antioxidants on the health of children. Two experiments were conducted: experiment one evaluated the milk of 24 Jersey dairy cows (450 ± 25 kg of body weight (BW); 60 ± 30 days in milk dry matter intake (DIM)) given different diet treatments (CON = control diet; COANT = diet with vitamin E and selenium as antioxidants; OIL = diet with sunflower oil; and OANT = diet with sunflower oil containing more vitamin E and selenium as antioxidants), and experiment two evaluated the effect of the milk produced in the first experiment on the health of children (CON = control diet; COANT = diet with vitamin E and selenium as antioxidants; OIL = diet with sunflower oil; OANT = diet with sunflower oil containing more vitamin E and selenium as antioxidants; and SM = skim milk). One hundred children (8 to 10 years old) were evaluated in the second experiment. Blood samples were collected at 0 days of milk intake and 28 and 84 days after the start of milk intake. The cows fed the COANT and OANT diets showed greater selenium and vitamin E concentrations in their milk (p = 0.001), and the children who consumed the milk from those cows had higher concentrations of selenium and vitamin E in their blood (p = 0.001). The platelet (p = 0.001) and lymphocyte (p = 0.001) concentrations were increased in the blood of the children that consumed milk from cows fed the OANT diet compared to those in the children that consumed SM (p = 0.001). The children who consumed milk from cows fed the OIL diet treatment had increased concentrations of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol in their blood at the end of the supplementation period compared to children who consumed SM. The results of this study demonstrate that the consumption of biofortified milk increases the blood concentrations of selenium and vitamin E in children, which may be beneficial to their health.

Bacterial Communities in Serpa Cheese by Culture Dependent Techniques, 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing and High-throughput Sequencing Analysis.

Serpa cheese is one of the traditional regional Portuguese cheeses having the Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) designation. This study investigated the bacterial community in the traditional Portuguese Serpa cheese. The microorganisms identified at the end of ripening (30 days) mainly were lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Lactobacillus paracasei/Lactobacillus casei was the main species in cheese from PDO registered industries, whereas in non-PDO registered industries Lactobacillus brevis was highlighted, among other LAB. Enterobacteriaceae species were detected at 20% to 40% of the total isolates. The results obtained by high-throughput sequencing analysis confirmed that LAB was the main microbial group, with Lactococcus genus contributing to approximately 40% to 60% of the population, followed by Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus. The Enterobacteriaceae family was also important. The differences between bacterial communities from PDO and non-PDO registered industries suggest that the lack of regulation of the cheese-making practices may influence unfavorably. The new knowledge about bacterial diversity in Serpa cheese could be useful to set up new ripening conditions, which favor the development of desirable microorganisms. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The control of the manufacturing process of traditional cheeses can be improved through the knowledge of the bacterial diversity that develops. Thus, the growth of desirable microorganisms can be promoted to homogenize the final product.

Atuação da equipe multiprofissional com pacientes em precauções de contato em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva / Performance of the multi-professional team with patients under contact precaution in an Intensive Therapy Unit

Trata-se de um estudo descritivo com abordagem quantitativa com o objetivo de verificar a utilização das medidas de precauções de contato e os fatores que dificultam a sua aplicabilidade pela equipe multiprofissional de unidade de terapia intensiva (UTI). A pesquisa foi realizada em um hospital universitário situado no município do Rio de Janeiro, em 2004. Participaram do estudo 87 profissionais e 13 estudantes da área de saúde da UTI. Os dados foram coletados em 216 horas de observação sistemática, por meio de questionários. Considerando toda tecnologia de equipamento e de recursos humanos presentes na unidade de terapia intensiva, ainda é preciso que profissionais e estudantes da área de saúde apliquem métodos econômicos, simples e eficazes no controle das infecções hospitalares, como as medidas de precaução padrão e de contato.