Molecular basis and clinical perspectives of deep brain stimulation for major depressive disorder.

It is possible to consider the stimulation of the cingulate gyrus in its portion below the corpus callosum (SCC, or subcallosal cingulate cortex) as an effective, promising, and safe alternative intervention for treatment-resistant depression. In studies with deep brain stimulation - DBS, when follow-on with functional magnetic resonance imaging and/or PET-CT (Positron emission tomography-computed tomography) is performed, it is observed an increase in the blood supply and glucose metabolism in this region, which is the anterior part of the limbic system. This same location has good experimental results also for the treatment of anorexia nervosa. The hypotheses suggest a greater activation of the reward system, a greater sense of well-being, and a consequent reduction in depressive symptoms, the objective of the treatment. Over the last 20 years, multicenter studies have shown symptomatic improvement in 50-60% of patients, and about a third even reach criteria for remission of the depressive disorder.

High maternal mortality rates: Racial, geographic, and socioeconomic disparities in Brazil.

What are the harsh consequences of racism and our country's slavery past in the life of every black woman today? How does the current federal government reinforce the reproduction of structural sexism and racism during a pandemic? Hunger, domestic violence, femicide, informal work, unemployment, and political under-representation are issues that are urgently presented by the need for an anti-racist social transformation. Black women remain vulnerable to social inequalities. And in the pandemic, these inequalities are not only related to its management (contamination, death, and vaccination), but also its economic and social consequences.

One ominous case of focal atrial tachycardia in pregnancy, two victims and a successful outcome: a case report

Background@#Pregnancy is associated with both new-onset and exacerbation of pre-existing arrhythmias, particularly supraventricular tachycardia, with increased maternal and fetal risks and with added concerns on the safety of the available drug therapy and catheter ablation techniques. These are often withheld, with worse outcomes, and lead to challenging decisions in the approach to pregnant women with refractory supraventricular arrhythmias.Case presentation: We present a case of a 28-year-old 37-weeks pregnant woman with symptomatic, almost incessant, atrial tachycardia causing tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy, refractory to medical therapy, that evolved in acute cardiac failure and needed emergency cesarian delivery. The patient was afterward submitted to catheter ablation therapy, with an electrical isolation of the ectopic foci on the lower left pulmonary vein with radiofrequency and total suppression of the arrhythmia. The patient and infant were discharged clinically well and during follow-up the patient was asymptomatic, without recurrence of tachycardia and with complete recovery of left ventricle function. @*Conclusions@#This case highlights the challenges in the treatment of this special population with a stepwise medical approach that proved ineffective and clinical deterioration requiring termination of pregnancy and catheter ablation in the postpartum period, with a successful maternal and fetal outcome.

Praxiologia do cuidado de saúde homens que convivem com a Diabetes e a Hipertensão Arterial / Health care praxiology men living with diabetes and hypertension / Hombres de praxiología de la salud que viven con diabetes e hipertensión

Objetivo: Aprender as práticas de cuidado de saúde exercitadas por homens em situação de adoecimento crônico. Método: Estudo qualitativo realizado com 38 homens idosos que conviviam com a Diabetes e a Hipertensão Arterial Sistêmica em um município da Bahia, Brasil. Realizamos entrevista individual submetida à análise pelo método do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo, suportado pela Teoria das Transições. Resultados: A praxiologia do cuidado de saúde dos homens esteve configurada pelo desenvolvimento de aprendizados e aquisições de habilidades específicas sobre a doença crônica; reeducação familiar; adesão às terapêuticas tradicionais face a utilização dos fitoterápicos, de saberes ancestrais e populares; a promoção de atividade física e repouso; o controle de modificações nos órgãos e no corpo e a promoção do bem-estar psicológico e a superação do sofrimento. Conclusão: As práticas de cuidado estão constituídas a partir das vivências masculinas na experiência do adoecimento crônico pela Diabetes Mellitus e a Hipertensão Arterial, que ao seu modo, implicam em mobilizações das masculinidades ao encontro de atos, atitudes, ações direcionadas à convivência com a doença, o seu enfrentamento e a significação a partir das oportunidades e dos acessos que estão disponíveis no território.

Objective: Objective: To learn the health care practices exercised by men in a situation of chronic illness. Method: Qualitative study carried out with 38 elderly men who lived with Diabetes and Systemic Arterial Hypertension in a city in Bahia, Brazil. We conducted an individual interview submitted to analysis using the Collective Subject Discourse method, supported by the Transition Theory. Results: The praxiology of men's health care was shaped by the development of learning and the acquisition of specific skills about chronic disease; family reeducation; adherence to traditional therapies in view of the use of herbal medicines, ancestral and popular knowledge; the promotion of physical activity and rest; the control of changes in organs and body and the promotion of psychological well-being and the overcoming of suffering. Conclusion: Care practices are constituted from male experiences in the experience of chronic illness due to Diabetes Mellitus and Arterial Hypertension, which, in their own way, imply mobilizations of masculinities to meet acts, attitudes, actions directed to living with the disease, its confrontation and the significance from the opportunities and accesses that are available in the territory.

Objetivo: Conocer las prácticas asistenciales que ejercen los hombres en situación de enfermedad crónica. Método: Estudio cualitativo realizado con 38 hombres mayores que vivían con Diabetes e Hipertensión Arterial Sistémica en una ciudad de Bahía, Brasil. Realizamos una entrevista individual sometida a análisis utilizando el método del Discurso Colectivo del Sujeto, apoyado en la Teoría de la Transición. Resultados: La praxiología del cuidado de la salud de los hombres fue moldeada por el desarrollo del aprendizaje y la adquisición de habilidades específicas sobre enfermedades crónicas; reeducación familiar; adherencia a las terapias tradicionales en vista del uso de hierbas medicinales, conocimientos ancestrales y populares; la promoción de la actividad física y el descanso; el control de los cambios en los órganos y el cuerpo y la promoción del bienestar psicológico y la superación del sufrimiento. Conclusión: Las prácticas de cuidado se constituyen a partir de vivencias masculinas en la vivencia de enfermedad crónica por Diabetes Mellitus e Hipertensión Arterial, que, a su manera, implican movilizaciones de masculinidades para enfrentar actos, actitudes, acciones encaminadas a convivir con la enfermedad. , su enfrentamiento y la trascendencia de las oportunidades y accesos que se encuentran disponibles en el territorio.

Saúde de homens em vivência de violência intrafamiliar e conjugal processados criminalmente / Health of men experiencing intrafamily and conjugal violence criminally prosecuted / Salud de los hombres que sufren violencia intrafamiliar y conyugal procesados penalmente

Objetivo: descrever o comprometimento da saúde de homens em vivência de violência intrafamiliar e conjugal. Método: Estudo descritivo, qualitativo, com participação de 44 homens que respondiam a processo criminal por violência conjugal nas 1ª e 2ª Vara de Justiça Pela Paz em Casa do município de Salvador, Bahia, Brasil, por meio da criação de Grupos Reflexivos em 5 edições entre os anos de 2014 e 2018. Resultados: A vivência de violência intrafamiliar e conjugal comprometeu a saúde dos homens com sintomatologia física e psíquica, manifestada por dores no peito, falta de ar e perda de peso; irritabilidade, vigilância, alteração no padrão de sono, tristeza, sentimento de impotência e comportamento suicida; impactos em perda da função laboral ou dificuldade de empregabilidade; rompimento de vínculos afetivos familiares e da rede de apoio; constrangimento e isolamento social. Conclusão: Vivenciar a violência intrafamiliar e perpetrar a violência conjugal provoca nos homens processados criminalmente a autodestruição com repercussões de expressividade danosa à sua identidade, sua saúde e a vida.

Objective: to describe the health compromise of men experiencing intrafamily and conjugal violence. Method: Descriptive, qualitative study, with the participation of 44 men who respond to criminal proceedings for conjugal violence in the 1st and 2nd Court of Justice for Peace at Home in the municipality of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, through the creation of Reflective Groups in 5 editions between 2014 and 2018. Results: The experience of intrafamily violence and marital commitment to the health of men with physical and psychological symptoms, manifested by chest pains, shortness of breath and weight loss; irritability, vigilance, changes in sleep patterns, sadness, feelings of helplessness and suicidal behavior; impacts on loss of work function or difficulty in employability; disruption of family affective bonds and the support network; constraint and social isolation. Conclusion: Experiencing intrafamily violence and perpetrating conjugal violence causes self-destruction in men who are criminally prosecuted, with repercussions of harmful expression to their identity, health and life.

Objetivo: describir el compromiso de salud de los hombres que sufren violencia intrafamiliar y conyugal. Metodo: Estudio descriptivo, cualitativo, con la participación de 44 hombres que responden a procesos penales por violencia conyugal en el 1er y 2do Juzgado de Justicia para la Paz en el Hogar del municipio de Salvador, Bahía, Brasil, mediante la creación de Grupos Reflexivos en 5 ediciones entre 2014 y 2018. Resultados: La experiencia de violencia intrafamiliar y compromiso conyugal con la salud de hombres con síntomas físicos y psicológicos, manifestados por dolores de pecho, disnea y pérdida de peso; irritabilidad, vigilancia, cambios en los patrones de sueño, tristeza, sentimientos de impotencia y comportamiento suicida; impactos en la pérdida de la función laboral o dificultad en la empleabilidad; ruptura de los lazos afectivos familiares y la red de apoyo; restricción y aislamiento social. Conclusión: Experimentar violencia intrafamiliar y perpetrar violencia conyugal provoca la autodestrucción en los hombres procesados penalmente, con repercusiones de expresión nociva para su identidad, salud y vida.

Author Correction: Modelling Dunes from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil): Largest dune field in South America.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Modelling Dunes from Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (Brazil): Largest dune field in South America.

This paper presents a digital elevation model (DEM) of the dunes found in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, an environmental protection area located in the Maranhão state (Brazil). The DEM supports the modeling studies of sand-dune evolution using multi-temporal satellite images and ground truth data, obtained through the post-processed kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning. The study area is located at the border of three major neotropical ecosystems: the Amazonia, Caatinga, and Brazilian savanna. It is located in the northeastern state of Maranhão and encompasses the largest dune fields in the country. Wide shrubby areas (restingas, in Portuguese), lakes, mangroves, and a multitude off reshwater lagoons compose the park's natural environments. The objective of the present study is to create an DEM that can evidence the complex dynamics of dune formation in the study area with use of GNSS. Geodetic techniques and precision mapping were employed to monitor the short-term coastal dynamics. The use of GNSS receivers is justified by the difficulty of mapping the dune's features using conventional methods such as theodolite, level, and total station systems, due to their high cost, time restriction sand low data precision. Surface surveys were carried out annually between December 2015 and January 2017 to create a DEM. The study results reveal that the area has a negative volumetric balance of erosion and a preferential direction of sediment transport by wind, which may justify the pattern of advancement and retraction observed in the dunes of the studied area.

Water quality in an urban environmental protection area in the Cerrado Biome, Brazil.

The environmental protection area of Lageado was created in 2001 in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul's State capital, and it constitutes a conservation unit that belongs to the Sustainable Use Group. The environmental protection area of Lageado is located in an urban area and provides approximately 12% of the water supplied to the municipality. Knowing the relationship between soil occupancy and population density, which may cause harmful effects to the quality of surface water and water resources, is fundamental. The present study aims to analyse the physical-chemical parameters of water samples collected at three different times and in six distinct points in Lageado. To verify whether the transformation of this watershed into a conservation unit resulted in the maintenance of water quality, the statistical analyses considered the significance and correlation among the following parameters: water quality index (WQI); dissolved aluminium, iron and copper; Escherichia coli; nitrate; ammoniacal nitrogen; Kjeldahl nitrogen; chemical oxygen demand; and chlorophyll α. The results show that the formal creation of the environmental protection area of Lageado did not provide the effective improvement or maintenance of its environmental conditions. Statistically, there were decreases in the WQI over the studied period, which demonstrates that the creation of a conservation unit is, in itself, not sufficient and it lacks the implementation of effective programmes and actions related to the soil use, occupancy and water quality.

Pilares REA [Cinco Pilares dos Recursos Educacionais Abertos]

Infográfico criado por Repositório Aberto de Portugal que procura ilustrar, de forma clara, gráfica e objetiva os cinco pilares da filosofia dos Recurso Educacionais Abertos.

Development of an Extraction Protocol for Fetal Sexing from the Fourth Week of Gestation by Real Time PCR

Abstract Low number of fetal cells in maternal blood limited the use of fetal materials in diagnostic and clinical applications. This research developed a technology which allowed the extraction of fetal DNA by a non-invasive method that offers no risk to the mother or fetus. A total of 132 pregnant women participated in this inquiry. The DNA extraction was performed employing an in-house method based on guanidine thiocyanate and magnetic bead. For the amplification it was used the Quantifier Y Kit™. The fetal sexing analysis of the 132 pregnant women were 100% in agreement with the ultrasound. Sensitivity and specificity for detection of Y chromosome sequences was possible using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction since the 4th week of gestation. This non-invasive early determination could be employed in fetal gender and also to be extended to detection of genetic diseases in the shortest possible time avoiding invasive methods that puts the fetus at risk.

Parametric and energy consumption optimization of Basic Red 2 removal by electrocoagulation/egg shell adsorption coupling using response surface methodology in a batch system.

In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) model was applied for optimization of Basic Red 2 (BR2) removal using electrocoagulation/eggshell (ES) coupling process in a batch system. Central composite design was used to evaluate the effects and interactions of process parameters including current density, reaction time, initial pH and ES dosage on the BR2 removal efficiency and energy consumption. The analysis of variance revealed high R(2) values (≥85%) indicating that the predictions of RSM models are adequately applicable for both responses. The optimum conditions when the dye removal efficiency of 93.18% and energy consumption of 0.840 kWh/kg were observed were 11.40 mA/cm(2) current density, 5 min and 3 s reaction time, 6.5 initial pH and 10.91 g/L ES dosage.

Removal of Acid Black 1 and Basic Red 2 from aqueous solutions by electrocoagulation/Moringa oleifera seed adsorption coupling in a batch system.

The removal of Acid Black 1 (AB1) and Basic Red 2 (BR2) from aqueous solutions via an electrocoagulation (EC)/Moringa oleifera seeds (MOS) adsorption coupling process by using aluminum and stainless steel electrode in a batch reactor is described in this study. The influences of the operational parameters, i.e. current density, MOS dosage, and dye initial concentration, on degree of color removal were studied, and the unit energy demand, the unit electrode material demand, and the charge loading were calculated and discussed. The amounts of adsorbent and energy consumption were considered as main criteria of process evaluation, and ideal conditions were chosen. The addition of an appropriate MOS dosage (0.6 g/L for AB1 and 5 g/L for BR2) resulted in faster decolorization of dyes especially at lower current densities and was simultaneously accompanied by a significant reduction in contact time compared to the conventional simple EC process. The coupling process achieved degree of removals above 99.3% and 94% for AB1 and BR2, respectively. The EC/MOS coupling technique could be recommended to replace the conventional simple EC because of its high degree of removal, short contact time, and low energy consumption.

Population genetic analyses of the AmpFlSTR® NGM™ in Brazil.

Population data of 15 short tandem repeat loci of the AmpFlSTR® next generation multiplex (NGM)™ were obtained from a sample of 835 individuals. The loci are the ten short tandem repeats (STRs) in the SGM Plus® Kit plus the EDNAP- and ENSFI-recommended STRs D10S1248, D22S1045, D2S441, D1S1656, and D12S391. Allele frequency and other forensically relevant statistics data were generated for the NGM loci into five current country macroregions of Brazil (North, Northeast, Central West, Southeast, and South). All the analyzed loci meet Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations and no linkage disequilibrium in all pairs of loci. The observed and expected heterozygosity, power of discrimination, polymorphic information content, and the other population-genetic indices were calculated. The overall power of discrimination was greater than 0.99999999999999999996 and the combined power of exclusion was greater than 0.9999998 in all Brazilian populations. Comparative analysis between populations from different Brazilian macroregions as well as between Brazil and Caucasian, African Americans, and Hispanic US populations are presented.