Regression models for the full distribution to exceedance data.

The list of occurrences linked to significant climate change has grown in recent decades. These changes can be influenced by a set of covariates, such as temperature, location and period of the year. Analyzing the relation among elements and factors that influence the behavior of such events is extremely important for decision-making in order to minimize damages and losses. Exceedance analysis uses the tail of the distribution based on Extreme Value Theory (EVT). Extensions for these models have been proposed in literature, such as regression models for the tail parameters and a parametric or semi-parametric distribution for the part that comes before the tail (well known as bulk distribution). This work presents a new extension to exceedance model, in which the parameters for the bulk distribution capture the effect of covariates such as location and seasonality. We considered a Bayesian approach in the inference procedure. The estimation was done using MCMC -- Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. Application results for modeling maximum and minimum temperature data showed an efficient estimation of extreme quantiles and a predictive advantage compared to models previously used in literature.

Biogenic amines and stable isotopes in the quality and authenticity of honeys from Brazil.

The identification of biogenic amines and some precursor amino acids and the adulteration through stable isotopes was carried out in 114 honey from different geographic regions in Brazil (states of São Paulo (SP) and Santa Catarina (SC)) as support for evaluating quality control and food safety. Serotonin was detected in all samples, while melatonin was quantified in 92.2% of honey from SP and in 94% of SC. l-Dopa, dopamine and histamine appeared at higher levels in honey from SP. Cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine and spermine, varied little according to botanical source. Three honey from the metropolitan region of SP were considered adulterated (C4SUGARS > 7%), 92 were authentic samples (C4SUGARS - 7 to 7%) and 19 unadulterated (C4SUGARS less than - 7%), with isotopic values of δ13CH and δ13CP > 7%. The data were important for differentiating quality as a function of biogenic amines and stable isotope technique was important in detecting honey adulteration.

Potential and limitations of machine meta-learning (ensemble) methods for predicting COVID-19 mortality in a large inhospital Brazilian dataset.

The majority of early prediction scores and methods to predict COVID-19 mortality are bound by methodological flaws and technological limitations (e.g., the use of a single prediction model). Our aim is to provide a thorough comparative study that tackles those methodological issues, considering multiple techniques to build mortality prediction models, including modern machine learning (neural) algorithms and traditional statistical techniques, as well as meta-learning (ensemble) approaches. This study used a dataset from a multicenter cohort of 10,897 adult Brazilian COVID-19 patients, admitted from March/2020 to November/2021, including patients [median age 60 (interquartile range 48-71), 46% women]. We also proposed new original population-based meta-features that have not been devised in the literature. Stacking has shown to achieve the best results reported in the literature for the death prediction task, improving over previous state-of-the-art by more than 46% in Recall for predicting death, with AUROC 0.826 and MacroF1 of 65.4%. The newly proposed meta-features were highly discriminative of death, but fell short in producing large improvements in final prediction performance, demonstrating that we are possibly on the limits of the prediction capabilities that can be achieved with the current set of ML techniques and (meta-)features. Finally, we investigated how the trained models perform on different hospitals, showing that there are indeed large differences in classifier performance between different hospitals, further making the case that errors are produced by factors that cannot be modeled with the current predictors.

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil.) for new therapeutic and nutraceutical interventions: A review of patents issued in the last 20 years (2000-2020).

It has been estimated that more than 70% of all drugs approved worldwide between 1981 and 2006 for human health are derived from or structurally similar to natural compounds. The identification of biological matrices containing bioactive compounds with therapeutic and nutraceutical potential is necessary to supply the global market demands. Researches have indicated that the consumption of dry and aqueous extracts of Ilex paraguariensis A. St.-Hil. is safe, providing that plant biomass does not be exposed to smoke over the drying process, avoiding contamination (e.g., ) with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds, and can might help avoiding many diseases, with important potential applications in the pharma and nutraceutical industries. A survey was carried out covering the main therapeutic and nutraceutical studies performed on I. paraguariensis extracts and their relationship with the global patents granted in the last 20 years for the products using this specie in their composition. In the PubMed database, by searching for the term "Ilex paraguariensis," an output with 497 scientific publications was found. Each paper was analyzed individually and 26 publications encompassing exclusively therapeutical and nutraceutical approaches of that plant species were selected. For the patent screening regarding Ilex-derived products, the survey considered three patent databases: European Patent Office (EPO) (Espacenet), World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO), and National Institute of Industrial Property (NIIP-Brazil). The criterion chosen to select the patents in the databases was the inclusion of the terms "Ilex paraguariensis" and "yerba mate" in the title and/or in the abstract, considering the patents issued from 2000 to 2020. Additionally, only patents with therapeutic and nutraceutical potential were considered on the survey. The screening and selection of the documents were performed independently by two researchers and the information cross-checked at the end. This review contributes to show the state of the art over the last 20 years on the knowledge about the therapeutical and nutraceutical usages of the yerba mate, associated to a certain number of issued patents. The patent survey afforded 62 relevant documents covering products based on Ilex paraguariensis biomass. Considering the number of patents issued, most of them are related to the pharmaceutical area (30), followed by food supplements and beverages (17), cosmetics (10) and, finally, nutraceuticals (5). A detailed analysis of the patents issued showed that most are related to pharmaceutical grade products, generally, marketed as oral and injectable compositions for treatments of obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipemia and diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, neurological diseases, and SARS-Cov-2, for example. In this work, a curious fact is that there are few patents for food, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals products containing yerba mate. Therefore, it seems to be relevant to take into account the potential of that species as source of bioactive compounds for the development of new products not only intended to the pharma sector. In this sense, 26 reports were identified showing possibilities and trendiness in developing new yerba mate based products, such as packaging, biopesticides, antiseptics, and food supply, expanding the possibilities of technological applications of this plant species.

Characterization of Brazilian floral honey produced in the states of Santa Catarina and São Paulo through ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), near-infrared (NIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Honey is considered a complex matrix for presenting a range of secondary metabolites originating from the regional flora. It has been highlighted as a functional food consumed worldwide and frequently suffering from adulteration. Fraud methods have been sophisticated over the years, indicating the need of a continuous updating of the existing analysis methods. For this reason, analytical techniques applied to honey have been expanded, allowing the detection of fraud and the determination of geographic and botanical origin, to guarantee the authenticity of the product. In this sense, this study aimed to characterize floral honey samples in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 harvests in the states of Santa Catarina (SC, southern Brazil - n = 73) and São Paulo (SP, southeastern Brazil - n = 59), through UV-vis, NIR, and NMR spectroscopies. The total reduced capacity showed a wide variation (0.76-12.8 mg GAE.g-1) among the SC and SP samples. Spectroscopic analyses through UV-vis and NMR with the application of PCA proved effective for discriminating honey samples according to their geographical origin. The honey UV-vis spectral profiles allowed to detect wavelengths that can be associated with honey adulteration, however further studies are needed to establish the accuracy of detection regarding fraud. In summary, a set of analytical protocols is presented to determine the geographical origin of floral honey, even when originated from regions with great biodiversity such as Brazil.

Hospital characteristics associated with COVID-19 mortality: data from the multicenter cohort Brazilian Registry.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented pressure over health care systems worldwide. Hospital-level data that may influence the prognosis in COVID-19 patients still needs to be better investigated. Therefore, this study analyzed regional socioeconomic, hospital, and intensive care units (ICU) characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to Brazilian institutions. This multicenter retrospective cohort study is part of the Brazilian COVID-19 Registry. We enrolled patients ≥ 18 years old with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to the participating hospitals from March to September 2020. Patients' data were obtained through hospital records. Hospitals' data were collected through forms filled in loco and through open national databases. Generalized linear mixed models with logit link function were used for pooling mortality and to assess the association between hospital characteristics and mortality estimates. We built two models, one tested general hospital characteristics while the other tested ICU characteristics. All analyses were adjusted for the proportion of high-risk patients at admission. Thirty-one hospitals were included. The mean number of beds was 320.4 ± 186.6. These hospitals had eligible 6556 COVID-19 admissions during the study period. Estimated in-hospital mortality ranged from 9.0 to 48.0%. The first model included all 31 hospitals and showed that a private source of funding (ß = - 0.37; 95% CI - 0.71 to - 0.04; p = 0.029) and location in areas with a high gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (ß = - 0.40; 95% CI - 0.72 to - 0.08; p = 0.014) were independently associated with a lower mortality. The second model included 23 hospitals and showed that hospitals with an ICU work shift composed of more than 50% of intensivists (ß = - 0.59; 95% CI - 0.98 to - 0.20; p = 0.003) had lower mortality while hospitals with a higher proportion of less experienced medical professionals had higher mortality (ß = 0.40; 95% CI 0.11-0.68; p = 0.006). The impact of those association increased according to the proportion of high-risk patients at admission. In-hospital mortality varied significantly among Brazilian hospitals. Private-funded hospitals and those located in municipalities with a high GDP had a lower mortality. When analyzing ICU-specific characteristics, hospitals with more experienced ICU teams had a reduced mortality.

Tryptophan and Biogenic Amines in the Differentiation and Quality of Honey.

Honey is a natural product with beneficial properties to health and has different characteristics depending on the region of production and collection, flowering, and climate. The presence of precursor amino acids of- and biogenic amines can be important in metabolomic studies of differentiation and quality of honey. We analyzed 65 honeys from 11 distinct regions of the State of Santa Catarina (Brazil) as to the profile of amino acids and biogenic amines by HPLC. The highest L-tryptophan (Trp), 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-OH-Trp), and tryptamine (Tryp) levels were detected in Cfb climate and harvested in 2019. Although we have found high content of serotonin, dopamine, and L-dopa in Cfb climate, the highest values occurred in honey produced during the summer 2018 and at altitudes above 900 m. Results indicate that the amino acids and biogenic amine levels in honeys are good indicators of origin. These data warrant further investigation on the honey as source of amino acids precursor of serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine, what can guide the choice of food as source of neurotransmitters.

Hypothyroidism does not lead to worse prognosis in COVID-19: findings from the Brazilian COVID-19 registry.

BACKGROUND: It is not clear whether previous thyroid diseases influence the course and outcomes of COVID-19. METHODS: The study is a part of a multicentric cohort of patients with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis from 37 hospitals. Matching for age, sex, number of comorbidities, and hospital was performed for the paired analysis. RESULTS: Of 7,762 patients with COVID-19, 526 had previously diagnosed hypothyroidism and 526 were matched controls. The median age was 70 years, and 68.3% were females. The prevalence of comorbidities was similar, except for coronary and chronic kidney diseases that were higher in the hypothyroidism group (p=0.015 and p=0.001). D-dimer levels were lower in patients with hypothyroid (p=0.037). In-hospital management was similar, but hospital length-of-stay (p=0.029) and mechanical ventilation requirement (p=0.006) were lower for patients with hypothyroidism. There was a trend of lower in-hospital mortality in patients with hypothyroidism (22.1% vs 27.0%; p=0.062). CONCLUSION: Patients with hypothyroidism had a lower requirement of mechanical ventilation and showed a trend of lower in-hospital mortality. Therefore, hypothyroidism does not seem to be associated with a worse prognosis.

Viabilidade de sementes de espécies forrageiras com tratamentos em altas diluições e óleos essenciais homeopatizados / Feasibility of forage species seeds with high dilutions treatments and homeopathized essential oils

A alta viabilidade de sementes de espécies forrageiras é fundamental para um bom desempenho e estabelecimento das culturas a campo. O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o efeito do preparado homeopático Silicea terra 12 CH e a homeopatização de óleos essenciais de aroeira e alecrim-do-campo na 6CH na superação de dormência e germinação de sementes de Avena strigosa (Aveia preta), Lolium multiflorum (Azevém anual) e Paspalum notatum (Pensacola). Os experimentos foram conduzidos no Laboratório de Homeopatia e Saúde Vegetal da EPAGRI e no Laboratório de Sementes da Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Lages/SC. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com 50 sementes e 4 repetições para cada espécie. As sementes foram dispostas em papel germitest e condicionadas em câmaras de germinação. As espécies foram avaliadas quanto a viabilidade (1ª contagem) e com teste padrão de germinação indicado nas Regras de Análises de Sementes. Os dados foram analisados com auxílio do ambiente R, considerando o nível de 5% de significância. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que o preparado homeopático Silicea terra 12CH atuou na velocidade de germinação, promovendo maiores taxas germinativas para todas as sementes testadas durante a primeira contagem. O índice de germinação da espécie Pensacola foi superior com o uso de Silicea terra 12CH ao final do experimento, diferindo significativamente do controle. O uso de óleo essencial homeopatizado de alecrim-do- -campo e aroeira atuaram sobre a viabilidade de azevém-anual na primeira contagem. Preparados homeopáticos e óleo essencial homeopatizado podem auxiliar na quebra de dormência de sementes de espécies forrageiras.

The high viability of forage species seeds is fundamental for a good performance and establishment of crops in the field. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the homeopathic preparation Silicea terra 12 CH and the homeopathization of essential oils of mastic and rosemary-of-the-field in 6CH in overcoming dormancy and germination of Avena strigosa (black oat) seeds, Lolium multiflorum (anual Ryegrass) and Paspalum notatum (Pensacola). The experiments were conducted at the EPAGRI Homeopathy and Plant Health Laboratory and at the Seed Laboratory at the State University of Santa Catarina, Lages / SC. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 50 seeds and 4 replicates for each species. The seeds were placed on germitest paper and conditioned in germination chambers. The species were evaluated for viability (1st count) and with a standard germination test indicated in the Seed Analysis Rules. The data were analyzed with the aid of the R environment, considering the level of 5% of significance. The findings indicated that the homeopathic preparation Silicea terra 12CH acted at the germination speed promoting higher germination rates for all seeds tested during the first count. The germination index of the Pensacola species was higher with the use of Silicea terra 12CH at the end of the experiment, differing significantly from the control. The use of homeopathized essential oil of rosemary- -of-the-field and mastic influenced the viability of ryegrass in the first count. Homeopathic preparations and homeopathized essential oils can assist in breaking dormancy of seeds of forage species.

Chagas disease and SARS-CoV-2 coinfection does not lead to worse in-hospital outcomes.

Chagas disease (CD) continues to be a major public health burden in Latina America. Information on the interplay between COVID-19 and CD is lacking. Our aim was to assess clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of patients with CD and COVID-19, and to compare it to non-CD patients. Consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included from March to September 2020. Genetic matching for sex, age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hospital was performed in a 4:1 ratio. Of the 7018 patients who had confirmed COVID-19, 31 patients with CD and 124 matched controls were included (median age 72 (64-80) years-old, 44.5% were male). At baseline, heart failure (25.8% vs. 9.7%) and atrial fibrillation (29.0% vs. 5.6%) were more frequent in CD patients than in the controls (p < 0.05). C-reactive protein levels were lower in CD patients compared with the controls (55.5 [35.7, 85.0] vs. 94.3 [50.7, 167.5] mg/dL). In-hospital management, outcomes and complications were similar between the groups. In this large Brazilian COVID-19 Registry, CD patients had a higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation and chronic heart failure compared with non-CD controls, with no differences in-hospital outcomes. The lower C-reactive protein levels in CD patients require further investigation.

Políticas públicas de esporte e lazer: um balanço crítico da produção científica no GEPPEF/UFMA / Public policies on sport and leisure: a critical assessment of the scientific production of GEPPEF/UFMA Maranhão / Políticas públicas de deporte y ocio: una valoración crítica de la producción científica de GEPPEF/UFMA

Este trabalho investiga a trajetória do Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas Pedagógicas em Educação Física (GEPPEF/UFMA) na área das políticas públicas de esporte e lazer, realizando um balanço crítico da sua produção científica. Faz-se uma pesquisa documental de natureza quanti-qualitativa, no período de 2005 a 2020, com um total de 73 trabalhos analisados nas seguintes categorias: fontes de publicação, temáticas, períodos, tipos de trabalho e aporte teórico. Constata-se predominância de publicação de trabalhos completos em anais de eventos nacionais e internacionais, com prevalência temática em gestão e ordenamento legal. Quanto ao aporte teórico, verifica-se inicialmente que os trabalhos se destacaram pela pluralidade epistemológica e, mais recentemente, o Grupo vem fundamentando suas pesquisas nos pressupostos do Materialismo Histórico Dialético. Concluiu-se que o GEPPEF aponta caminhos no intuito de contribuir para o debate das políticas públicas de esporte e lazer no Maranhão, sobretudo para a concretização desses direitos.

This work investigates the trajectory of the Group of Studies and Pedagogical Research in Physical Education (GEPPEF / UFMA) in the area of public policies on sport and leisure, making a critical assessment of its scientific production. A quantitative and qualitative documentary research is carried out in the period from 2005 to 2020, with a total of 73 papers analyzed in the following categories: publication sources, themes, periods, work types and theoretical contribution. There is a predominance of publication of complete papers in annals of national and international events, with thematic prevalence in management and legal order. As for the theoretical contribution, it is verified initially that the works stood out for their epistemological plurality and, more recently, the Group has been basing its research on the assumptions of Dialectical Historical Materialism. It was concluded that GEPPEF points out ways to contribute to the debate on sports and leisure public policies in Maranhão, especially aiming for the realization of these rights.

Este trabajo analiza la trayectoria del Grupo de Estudios e Investigaciones Pedagógicas en Educación Física (GEPPEF/UFMA) en el ámbito de las políticas públicas de deporte y ocio, realizando una valoración crítica de su producción científica. Se realiza una investigación documental de carácter cuantitativo y cualitativo de las producciones realizadas en el período de 2005 a 2020, con un total de 73 trabajos analizados en las siguientes categorías: fuentes de publicación, temáticas, periodos, tipos de trabajo y contribución teórica. Se constata el predominio de publicaciones de trabajos completos en anales de eventos nacionales e internacionales, con prevalencia temática en gestión y ordenamiento jurídico. En cuanto a la contribución teórica, se observa inicialmente que los trabajos se destacaron por su pluralidad epistemológica y, más recientemente, la base de la investigación del Grupo en los supuestos del Materialismo Histórico Dialéctico. Se concluye que el GEPPEF señala caminos con el objetivo de contribuir al debate acerca de las políticas públicas de deporte y ocio en el Maranhão, especialmente para la concretización de estos derechos.

O efeito da cor de pele na construção da identidade racial em crianças / The effect of skin color on the construction of racial identity in children

A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo explorar os processos de construção da identidade ra-cial de crianças brasileiras. Trata-se de um estudo transversal, desenvolvido a partir da repli-cação de um estudo. Participaram trinta crianças, com idades entre 9 e 13 anos, sendo 33% brancos, 50% pardos e 17% negros. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas e como mate-rial de estímulo, fotografias de crianças reais brancas, pardas e negras, de ambos os sexos, to-mando como medida de análise, a autocategorização e preferência racial das crianças. Como resultado, o estudo apontou para uma tendência ao autobranqueamento, onde a criança branca foi indicada como preferida e detentora de características socialmente favoráveis, enquanto a criança negra foi preterida. O estudo demonstra que as crianças são agentes ativos na constru-ção de suas identidades raciais e que a cor de pele destas incide efeitos significativos no pro-cesso, cujo debate precisa ser ampliado e democratizado. (AU)

The present research aimed to explore the processes of construction of the racial identity of Brazilian children. It is a cross-sectional study, developed from the replication of a study. Thirty children participated, aged between 9 and 13 years old, 33% white, 50% brown and 17% black. Semistructured diversions and photographs of real white, brown and black children, of both sexes were configured, taking as a measure of analysis, the self-categorization and racial preference of children. As a result, the study pointed to a tendency towards self-whitening, where the white child was identified as preferred and had socially favorable characteristics, while the black child was deprecated. The study demonstrates that children are active agents in the constructionof their racial identities and that the skin color has significant effects on the process, whose debate needs to be expanded and democratized. (AU)

Performance of polymyxin B Etest in a setting of high prevalence of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

OBJECTIVES: Polymyxin resistance has been increasing in many regions, and appropriate determination of polymyxin susceptibility is now a major challenge worldwide. Many clinical laboratories rely on gradient diffusion methods to assess polymyxin susceptibility, although broth microdilution (BMD) is the only method currently recommended by the CLSI and EUCAST. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the polymyxin B (PMB) Etest in a setting with a high prevalence of KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-KP). METHODS: A commercial Etest susceptibility testing method was evaluated and compared with the reference BMD method, considering isolates with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≤2 mg/L for PMB as susceptible to this drug. A total of 310 clinical KPC-KP isolates were evaluated. RESULTS: Susceptibility was significantly higher by Etest compared with BMD (82.6% vs. 75.8%). The MIC50, MIC90 and modal MICs for PMB were 0.25, 32 and 0.25 mg/L (27.1%) by BMD and 0.5, 16 and 0.5 mg/L (49.7%) by Etest, respectively. Although categorical agreement was 90.0%, there was poor essential agreement (50.6%). A high rate (34.7%) of very major errors (VMEs) and a relatively low rate (2.1%) of major errors were found. CONCLUSION: The considerable number of resistant isolates in this study allowed an accurate estimation of VME rates and, consequently, a more comprehensive assessment of susceptibility testing for polymyxins. Etest did not meet fully the acceptance criteria for US FDA requirements. These data do not support the use of this commercial method for determining PMB MICs in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales populations.

Evaluation of EDTA and Dipicolinic Acid in Broth Microdilution with Polymyxin B as a Phenotypic Test to Detect the mcr-1 Gene.

Polymyxins (colistin and polymyxin B) have recently regained significant importance as last-line drugs to treat infectious diseases due to multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, resistance to polymyxins has increased, and the recognition of plasmid-mediated resistance (by the mcr gene) has led to an epidemiological concern. We aimed to evaluate the reduction of the polymyxin B minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) in the presence of EDTA or dipicolinic acid (DPA) by using the broth microdilution (BMD) method for phenotypic screening of acquired polymyxin resistance mediated by the mcr-1 gene. Overall, 94 Enterobacterales (48 polymyxin-resistant and 46 polymyxin-susceptible) were evaluated: 47 mcr-1 positive (36 Escherichia coli, 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 9 Salmonella spp.) and 47 mcr-1 negative (3 E. coli and 44 K. pneumoniae-27 isolates with MIC from ≤0.125 to 8 µg/mL and 20 isolates with MIC from 16 to 64 µg/mL). Results were categorized as positive when the chelator decreased the original BMD MIC by ≥2 logs. The majority (95.7%) of mcr-1 positive isolates displayed at least a 3 log dilution decrease in the MIC of polymyxin B with EDTA or DPA. The EDTA-based BMD assay detected 45 mcr-1-positive isolates, with only one false-positive among the mcr-1-negative isolates (sensitivity [SN], 95.7%; specificity [SP], 97.9%), whereas the DPA-based BMD assay detected 44 mcr-1-positive isolates (SN, 93.6%; SP, 95.7%), with two false-positive results. The accuracy of EDTA- and DPA-based BMD assays were 97% and 95%, respectively. The EDTA- and DPA-based assays were demonstrated to be reliable methods to detect mcr-1 positive isolates with excellent accuracy.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Brazilian Food Truck Food Handlers.

This study aimed to (i) compare the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices (KAP) and observed food safety practices of food truck (FT) food handlers, (ii) evaluate the microbiological quality of food and water samples collected from these vehicles, and (iii) establish a score classification for the KAP instrument according to the food contamination probability assessment. This study was conducted in three stages with 40 food truck food handlers conveniently sampled in the Federal District, Brazil, through structured interviews, application of an observational checklist for the assessment of handlers' practices and the collection of food and water samples for determination of microbiological quality. FTs that are likely to exhibit food contamination and are at a high risk of foodborne diseases if at least one of the following situations occur: (1) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the knowledge section; (2) if a food handler scores ≤5 in the attitudes section; or (3) if a food handler scores ≤6 in the self-reported practices section. On the other hand, FTs in which handlers score higher than the cutoff points in all the sections are unlikely to exhibit food contamination and are at a low risk of foodborne diseases. The findings of this study are the first step to understand food handlers' point of view and the initial diagnosis to guide educational strategies in the FT sector.

Brazilian Food Truck Consumers' Profile, Choices, Preferences, and Food Safety Importance Perception.

This study aimed to investigate food truck consumers' profile, choices, preferences, and food safety importance perception. We conducted structured interviews with a convenient sample of 133 food truck consumers in the Federal District, Brazil. Most of the participating consumers were married (52%) and female (56%), who had completed at least tertiary school (81%). The interviews revealed that most food truck consumers eat from food trucks once or twice a week (96%), usually near home (74%), and have an average per capita expenditure of approximately US $5 to US $9.99 (70%). Hamburgers and sandwiches are the most popular food among consumers (72%). Consumers indicated that taste (30%) was the most important reason to choose a food truck and that poor vehicle hygiene (30%) was the main point assigned for not opting for a food truck. Food hygiene and vendors' personal hygiene were considered important by consumers when eating from food trucks (78% and 80%, respectively). Considering all food truck consumers interviewed and the questions about food safety importance perception, the minimum score was 1 and the maximum was 2.9, with a mean score of 1.68 (SD = 0.46), indicating a high level of perceived importance. The instrument of food safety importance perception presented a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.73, indicating good internal consistency. No significant differences were observed in the food safety importance perception scores in gender (0.192), marital status (0.418), level of education (0.652) or food safety training (0.166). However, significant differences were found in the food safety importance perception scores for age (0.026) and the presence of children (0.001). The findings of this study indicate that there remains the need for consumers to comprehend their role in the food supply chain. Food safety and food handling practices are of public concern, and strategies are required to prevent foodborne diseases. Future public health interventions aiming to increase consumer knowledge and awareness of food safety should be emphasized.

Antimicrobial activity of Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn and inhibition of the NorA efflux pump of Staphylococcus aureus by Phyllanthin.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of ethanoic extract of P. amarus (PAEE) and its compound Phyllanthin, as well as, investigate if these natural products could modulate the fluoroquinolone-resistance in S. aureus SA1199-B by way of overexpression of the NorA efflux pump. Microdilution tests were carried out to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the PAEE or Phyllanthin against several bacterial and yeast strains. To evaluate if PAEE or Phyllanthin were able to act as modulators of the fluoroquinolone-resistance, MICs for Norfloxacin and ethidium bromide were determined in the presence or absence of PAEE or Phyllanthin against S. aureus SA1199-B. PAEE showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative strains, meanwhile Phyllanthin was inactive against all strains tested. Addition of PAEE or Phyllanthin, to the growth media at sub-inhibitory concentrations enhanced the activity of the Norfloxacin as well as, Ethidium Bromide, against S. aureus SA1199-B. These results indicate that Phyllanthin is able to modulate the fluoroquinolone-resistance possibly by inhibition of NorA. This hypothesis was supported by in silico docking analysis which confirmed that Phyllantin is a NorA ligand. Thus, this compound could be used as a potentiating agent of the Norfloxacin activity in the treatment of infections caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant S. aureus.

Epidemiology and Estimated Cost of Surgery for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Conducted by the Unified Health System in Brazil (2005­2015)

Introduction Cubital tunnel syndrome (CTS) is responsible for one of the types of ulnar nerve neuropathy and is the second cause of compressive neuropathy of the upper limb, only surpassed by carpal tunnel syndrome. Objective To describe the epidemiological data of the ulnar nerve transposition surgical code in the treatment of CTS by the United Health System (SUS) from 2005 to 2015. Methodology This is a descriptive epidemiological study, in which data were obtained through consultation of the DATASUS database. Results/Discussion During this period, 774 procedures were performed and, despite the addition of 20.3 million people to the Brazilian population, the incidence was 0.33/ 1,000,000. National and international epidemiology point to a slightly higher prevalence of the procedure between men, in the fourth and fifth decades of life. Low permanence rate, as well as the absence of hospital deaths related to the procedure, infer that the procedure is safe, with low morbidity and mortality rates. Conclusion The annual incidence of the cubital syndrome submitted to surgical treatment at SUS in the Brazilian population was 1/7,670,833 in 2005 and½,174,468 in 2015. The cost of each surgical procedure during the same period ranged from R$ 318.88 to R$ 539.74. The mean hospitalization time for CTS surgery was 1.85 days.