Comparative analysis of dental trauma in contact and non-contact sports: A systematic review.

Dental traumas in sports are common and have physical, social, psychological, and economic impacts. The aim of this study was to determine, through a systematic review, the prevalence of dental trauma in contact and non-contact sports. This review was submitted to PROSPERO (CRD42023421206). Included studies addressed the prevalence of dental trauma in young athletes and adults above 18 years, excluding reviews, editorials, symposiums, or those evaluating athletes under 18 years. A literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, LIVIVO, SPORTDiscus, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source (via EBSCO), and Lilacs and BBO, as well as gray literature. Bias risk was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist. Data were synthesized considering study characteristics, population, sport, and outcomes. R Statistics software was used for all meta-analyses. A total of 1707 articles were identified. After applying eligibility criteria, eight were selected. Three studies, not previously observed, were later added after reading four systematic reviews on a similar topic. Fourteen contact sports and five non-contact sports were analyzed. The prevalence of dental trauma was 11.38% in contact sports and 5.24% in non-contact sports. Regardless of the type of sport, athletes face risks of dental trauma, with contact sports showing higher prevalence. The use of mouthguards is essential across all contact and non-contact sports as a preventive measure.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy by women from southern Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Some maternal characteristics are related to alcohol intake during pregnancy, which irreversibly compromises the maternal-fetal binomial integrity. OBJECTIVES: To identify the frequency, impact, and factors associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional study was performed at the Hospital Materno Infantil Presidente Vargas (HMIPV) in Porto Alegre/RS between March and December 2016. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was administered along with a medical records review. They refer to the maternal sociodemographic and gestational status, alcohol consumption patterns, and characteristics of the fetus/newborn. In the statistical analysis, P values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The frequency of alcohol intake was 37.3%; this was characterized by the consumption of fermented beverages (89.3%), especially during the first trimester (79.6%). Risky consumption (high and/or early) occurred for 30.2% of participants. Risk factors associated with maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy were tobacco use (P < 0.001) and abortion attempt (P = 0.023). Living with a partner (P = 0.002) and planning pregnancy (P = 0.009) were protective factors. Risky consumption was related to all of the aforementioned variables as well as threatened abortion (P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol intake during pregnancy is common and affects nearly one-third of pregnant women. Knowledge of the population at risk and protective factors is essential for the development of campaigns that seek to reduce consumption and, therefore, its consequences for the mother and fetus.

Association between physical activity status and musculoskeletal pain in individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2: Sulcovid-19 survey.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the association of physical activity (PA) before SARS-Cov-2 infection with Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain after infection. METHODS: We used data from the Sulcovid-19, a longitudinal study. This study was carried out in the city of Rio Grande, in the extreme south of Brazil with individuals who were infected by SARS-Cov-2 between December/2020 and March/2021. Participants were asked on MSK pain in the cervical, thoracic, low back, upper and lower limbs. Three PA variables were built, as follows: 1) any PA (yes or no), 2) sufficient PA (based on WHO recommendations), and 3) PA status before and after COVID-19 (i.e., remained inactive, became inactive, and remained active). RESULTS: Participants reporting sufficient PA levels were less likely to experience pain in the cervical (PR 0.70, 0.53-0.92 95% CI) after COVID-19. Those who remained active were less likely to experience pain in the cervical spine and in at least one body site. Becoming inactive increased the likelihood of experiencing pain in the lower limbs after infection by 30%. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous PA practice regardless SARS-Cov-2 infection showed important protection effect for MSK as a consequence of infection.

Prevalence and factors associated with long COVID in adults from Southern Brazil: findings from the PAMPA cohort.

Most COVID-19 survivors have reported experiencing persistent symptoms after the infection - these types of cases are known as long COVID. Since Brazil was an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, a high burden of long COVID is expected. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and factors associated with long COVID in adults in Southern Brazil, analyzing data from the PAMPA cohort. Participants filled out a self-reported online questionnaire in June 2022. This study only included subjects who tested positive for COVID-19. Long COVID was defined by any symptoms that persisted for at least three months after the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Poisson's regression models with robust variance were used to identify factors associated with long COVID; and results were reported as prevalence ratios (PR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). A total of 1,001 participants (77.4% women, mean age [SD] = 38.3 [11.9] years) were analyzed. The prevalence of long COVID among these patients was 77.4% (95%CI: 74.7; 79.9). The likelihood of long COVID was higher in unvaccinated participants (PR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.06; 1.42), in those with chronic conditions (PR = 1.13, 95%CI: 1.04; 1.24), and in those who were hospitalized due to the COVID-19 infection (PR = 1.24, 95%CI: 1.16; 1.32). This prevalence was also higher in women (PR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.09; 1.33) than in men. Physical activity was associated with a reduced likelihood of fatigue, neurological complications, coughing, and headaches as persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection. It was found that three out of four adults in Southern Brazil experienced long COVID. Public policies aiming to reduce the burden of long COVID must be prioritized, especially in groups that are at higher risk of developing this harmful condition.

Physical activity status prevents symptoms of long covid: Sulcovid-19 survey.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is indicated as a treatment for Long COVID, but prevention is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) before and after acute SARS-Cov-2 infection and the presence of Long COVID symptoms in adults. METHODS: We used data from the Sulcovid-19, a longitudinal study carried out with individuals who were infected by SARS-Cov-2 between December/2020 and March/2021. Participants were asked about 19 symptoms commonly associated with long COVID. Three PA variables were built, as follows: (1) remained inactive; (2) became inactive; (3) remained active. RESULTS: 2.919 people were interviewed. The prevalence of individuals who had at least one symptom of Long COVID is 48.3% (95%CI 46.5-51.1). Our results showed that 71.8% (95%CI 70.1-73.4) of the individuals remained inactive, 14.9% (95%CI 13.6-16.2) became inactive and 13.3% (95% CI 12.1-14.6) remained active. The likelihood of experiencing long COVID symptoms was reduced in the musculoskeletal (PR 0.70; 95%CI 0.49-0.99), neurological (PR 0.61; 95%CI 0.43-0.88), and respiratory (PR 0.58; 95%CI 0.35-0.96) systems in those who remained active. In addition, the likelihood of experiencing Long COVID symptoms was 7% less in those who remained active. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous PA practice showed important protection effect for Long COVID symptoms in adults.

Proteomics of Paracoccidioides lutzii: Overview of Changes Triggered by Nitrogen Catabolite Repression.

Members of the Paracoccidioides complex are the causative agents of Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a human systemic mycosis endemic in Latin America. Upon initial contact with the host, the pathogen needs to uptake micronutrients. Nitrogen is an essential source for biosynthetic pathways. Adaptation to nutritional stress is a key feature of fungi in host tissues. Fungi utilize nitrogen sources through Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR). NCR ensures the scavenging, uptake and catabolism of alternative nitrogen sources, when preferential ones, such as glutamine or ammonium, are unavailable. The NanoUPLC-MSE proteomic approach was used to investigate the NCR response of Paracoccidioides lutzii after growth on proline or glutamine as a nitrogen source. A total of 338 differentially expressed proteins were identified. P. lutzii demonstrated that gluconeogenesis, ß-oxidation, glyoxylate cycle, adhesin-like proteins, stress response and cell wall remodeling were triggered in NCR-proline conditions. In addition, within macrophages, yeast cells trained under NCR-proline conditions showed an increased ability to survive. In general, this study allows a comprehensive understanding of the NCR response employed by the fungus to overcome nutritional starvation, which in the human host is represented by nutritional immunity. In turn, the pathogen requires rapid adaptation to the changing microenvironment induced by macrophages to achieve successful infection.

Organizing pneumonia and COVID-19.

Organizing pneumonia (OP) is an interstitial lung disease, and can be cryptogenic, if no cause is identified, or secondary to several conditions. COVID-19-induced persistent inflammation can be associated with interstitial lung disease. We present a review of literature of OP and COVID-19-induced OP with an illustrative case. A 38-year-old man was admitted with COVID-19 that required mechanical ventilation for 56 days. Initial chest computed tomography (CT) revealed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities in the lungs with consolidation areas involving 75 % of the parenchyma. After weaning from MV, the patient still required oxygen supplementation. A new chest CT scan also showed extensive diffuse areas of consolidation and ground-glass opacity. OP was hypothesized and 40 mg/day prednisone initiated and continued for six months with resolution of lung functional and image abnormalities. Organizing pneumonia should be included in the differential diagnosis of COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms after partial pulmonary recovery.

Longitudinal and transcultural assessment of the relationship between hallucinogens, well-being, and post-traumatic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the health and wellbeing of the global population. This paper presents the results of a longitudinal transcultural study that was begun at the peak of the pandemic (in April, 2020). An online survey was used to collect data from English-, Spanish-, and Portuguese-speaking participants. The survey collected information about sociodemographics, lifestyle activities, COVID-19-related circumstances, and drug use (with an emphasis on hallucinogenic drugs), as well as involving psychometric questionnaires. Users of hallucinogenic drugs had higher psychological well-being and lower scores on psychopathology scales, both at baseline and during follow-ups. This difference was larger when users were distinguished by frequency of use, as regular users scored higher on psychological well-being and lower on psychopathology scales. Subjects with more psychological distress had lower scores for all scales of post-traumatic growth, but if they were regular hallucinogens users, they had higher scores for post-traumatic growth. When comparing the results between cultural contexts, heterogeneous results were obtained. There were more English-speaking regular users of hallucinogenic drugs. Further research should analyse the potential role of hallucinogens in large-scale catastrophes, with a special focus on post-traumatic growth.

Musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and healthcare utilization: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the reorganization of health services to cater to the needs of individuals affected by the virus. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and the utilization of health services among adults in southern Brazil.  METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with individuals aged 18 years and older, who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between December 2020 and March 2021. Questionnaires were electronically collected using tablets through the REDCap platform via phone calls. The health service utilization outcomes assessed included Primary Health Care, general practitioners, private emergency care, and specialized services. The exposure variable was the presence of musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in different regions, such as cervical, upper limbs, thoracic, lumbar, and lower limbs. Poisson regression analysis was employed to assess the relationship between health service utilization during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection and musculoskeletal pain during and after the infection with SARS-CoV-2 among adults in southern Brazil. Data were analyzed using the Stata 16.1 statistical package.  RESULTS: A total of 2,919 individuals were interviewed. Overall, individuals with musculoskeletal pain were found to utilize health services approximately 15 percentage points higher when compared to those without musculoskeletal pain. In adjusted analysis, individuals who reported musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection were up to twice as likely to use health services. Among them, the emergency care unit was the most frequently used service, particularly in those with pain in the lower limbs (RP=2.19, 95% CI 1.66-2.87) and thoracic region (RP=2.04, 95% CI 1.47-2.84). Notably, the highest magnitudes of association were observed with emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, especially neurologists, who were two to three times more likely to be sought, followed by pulmonologists.  CONCLUSION: Health service utilization was significantly associated with musculoskeletal pain during and after SARS-CoV-2 infection. All regions, except for the cervical region, showed a correlation with the use of Primary Health Care. The thoracic region featured an association with pulmonologists and emergency room utilization. Additionally, health services like emergency care units, specialist doctors, and specialized services, including cardiologists and neurologists, were commonly utilized across all regions in southern Brazil.

Biases in affective attention tasks in posttraumatic stress disorder patients: A systematic review of neuroimaging studies.

INTRODUCTION: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by alterations in emotional and cognitive processing. The current neurobiological model of PTSD posits that amygdala and prefrontal cortex functioning impairment underpins symptoms, such as altered emotional and cognitive processing. Additionally, these structures are key components of emotional and attention regulation. AIM: This review sought to evaluate studies comparing PTSD group to non-PTSD controls performance in affective attention tasks during neuroimaging. RESULTS: PTSD group behavioral performance when responding to affective stimuli differed from controls only in stroop-based tasks. However, neuroimaging techniques were able to identify brain activation differences even when behavioral differences were not present. Amygdala hyperactivation in PTSD patients was confirmed in most cases, but cortical networks results were not as consistent. More than a general reduction in activity, PTSD group data points out to impaired recruitment of ventral cortical structures and increased reliance on dorsal cortical structures during task performance. CONCLUSION: Stroop-based tasks seem to be better at identifying differences in behavioral performance of PTSD individuals. PTSD individuals seems to present an altered brain activation pattern in affective attention tasks when compared to controls, where PTSD individuals seem to present enhanced amygdala activation and rely more on dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and posterior insula activation during tasks. The PROSPERO ID for this study is CRD42022355471.

Inequalities in the receipt of healthcare practitioner counseling for adults after COVID-19 in southern Brazil.

Health counseling is a prevention and health promotion action, especially in the context of a pandemic, for both preventing disease and maintaining health. Inequalities may affect receipt of health counseling. The aim was to provide an overview of the prevalence of receiving counseling and to analyze income inequality in the receipt of health counseling. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey study with individuals aged 18 years or older with diagnosis of symptomatic COVID-19 using RT-PCR testing between December 2020 and March 2021. They were asked about receipt of health counseling. Inequalities were assessed using the Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX) measures. We used the Chi-square test to assess the distribution of outcomes according to income. Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment. RESULTS: A total of 2919 individuals were interviewed. Low prevalence of health counseling by healthcare practitioner was found. Participants with higher incomes were 30% more likely to receive more counseling. CONCLUSIONS: These results serve as a basis for aggregating public health promotion policies, in addition to reinforcing health counseling as a multidisciplinary team mission to promote greater health equity.

Interactive Effects of Ayahuasca and Cannabidiol in Social Cognition in Healthy Volunteers: A Pilot, Proof-of-Concept, Feasibility, Randomized-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Serotonergic hallucinogens and cannabinoids may alter the recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE). Cannabidiol (CBD) attenuates the psychoactive effects of the cannabinoid-1 agonist tetrahydrocannabinol. Ayahuasca is a dimethyltryptamine-containing hallucinogenic decoction. It is unknown if CBD may moderate and attenuate the effects of ayahuasca on REFE. PROCEDURES: Seventeen healthy volunteers participated in a 1-week preliminary parallel-arm, randomized controlled trial for 18 months. Volunteers received a placebo or 600 mg of oral CBD followed by oral ayahuasca (1 mL/kg) 90 minutes later. Primary outcomes included REFE and empathy tasks (coprimary outcome). Tasks were performed at baseline and 6.5 hours, 1 and 7 days after the interventions. Secondary outcome measures included subjective effects, tolerability, and biochemical assessments. RESULTS: Significant reductions (all P values <0.05) only in reaction times were observed in the 2 tasks in both groups, without between-group differences. Furthermore, significant reductions in anxiety, sedation, cognitive deterioration, and discomfort were observed in both groups, without between-group differences. Ayahuasca, with or without CBD, was well tolerated, producing mainly nausea and gastrointestinal discomfort. No clinically significant effects were observed on cardiovascular measurements and liver enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of interactive effects between ayahuasca and CBD. The safety of separate and concomitant drug intake suggests that both drugs could be applied to clinical populations with anxiety disorders and in further trials with larger samples to confirm findings.

Immunoproteomic and immunoinformatic approaches identify secreted antigens and epitopes from Staphylococcus saprophyticus.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common human infections that compromise women's health around the world, even though they can affect men and women of all ages. Bacterial species are the primary causative agents of UTIs, while Staphylococcus saprophyticus, a gram-positive bacterium, is especially important for uncomplicated infections in young women. Despite the number of antigenic proteins identified in Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria of the genus, there is no immunoproteomic study in S. saprophyticus. In this context, since pathogenic microorganisms secrete important proteins that interact with hosts during infection, the present work aims to identify the exoantigens from S. saprophyticus ATCC 15305 by immunoproteomic and immunoinformatic approaches. We identified 32 antigens on the exoproteome of S. saprophyticus ATCC 15305 by immunoinformatic tools. By using 2D-IB immunoproteomic analysis, it was possible to identify 3 antigenic proteins: transglycosylase IsaA, enolase and the secretory antigen Q49ZL8. In addition, 5 antigenic proteins were detected by immunoprecipitation (IP) approach, where the most abundant were bifunctional autolysin and transglycosylase IsaA proteins. The transglycosylase IsaA was the only protein detected by all the tools approaches used in this study. In this work it was possible to describe a total of 36 S. saprophyticus exoantigens. Immunoinformatic analysis allowed the identification of 5 exclusive linear B cell epitopes from S. saprophyticus and 5 epitopes presenting homology with other bacteria that cause UTIs. This work describes, for the first time, the profile of exoantigens secreted by S. saprophyticus and can contribute to the identification of new diagnostic targets of UTIs, as well as to develop vaccines and immunotherapies against bacterial urinary infections.

Socioeconomic inequities in specialized health services use following COVID-19 in individuals from Southern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on inequalities in the health services use is important for public policy formulation, even more so in a pandemic context. The aim of this study was to evaluate socioeconomic inequities in the specialized health use services according to health insurance and income, following COVID-19 in individuals residing in Southern Brazil. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional telephone survey with individuals aged 18 years or older diagnosed with symptomatic COVID-19 using the RT-PCR test between December 2020 and March 2021. Questions were asked about attendance at a health care facility following COVID-19, the facilities used, health insurance and income. Inequalities were assessed by the following measures: Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Concentration Index (CIX). Adjusted analyses were performed using Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment using the Stata 16.1 statistical package. RESULTS: 2,919 people (76.4% of those eligible) were interviewed. Of these, 24.7% (95%CI 23.2; 36.3) used at least one specialized health service and 20.3% (95%CI 18.9; 21.8) had at least one consultation with specialist doctors after diagnosis of COVID-19. Individuals with health insurance were more likely to use specialized services. The probability of using specialized services was up to three times higher among the richest compared to the poorest. CONCLUSIONS: There are socioeconomic inequalities in the specialized services use by individuals following COVID-19 in the far south of Brazil. It is necessary to reduce the difficulty in accessing and using specialized services and to extrapolate the logic that purchasing power transposes health needs. The strengthening of the public health system is essential to guarantee the population's right to health.

Increased Trypanosoma cruzi Growth during Infection of Macrophages Cultured on Collagen I Matrix.

The interactions between cell and cellular matrix confers plasticity to each body tissue, influencing the cellular migratory capacity. Macrophages rely on motility to promote their physiological function. These phagocytes are determinant for the control of invasive infections, and their immunological role largely depends on their ability to migrate and adhere to tissue. Therefore, they interact with the components of the extracellular matrix through their adhesion receptors, conferring morphological modifications that change their shape during migration. Nevertheless, the need to use in vitro cell growth models with the conditioning of three-dimensional synthetic matrices to mimic the dynamics of cell-matrix interaction has been increasingly studied. This becomes more important to effectively understand the changes occurring in phagocyte morphology in the context of infection progression, such as in Chagas disease. This disease is caused by the intracellular pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi, capable of infecting macrophages, determinant cells in the anti-trypanosomatid immunity. In the present study, we sought to understand how an in vitro extracellular matrix model interferes with T. cruzi infection in macrophages. Using different time intervals and parasite ratios, we evaluated the cell morphology and parasite replication rate in the presence of 3D collagen I matrix. Nevertheless, microscopy techniques such as scanning electron microscopy were crucial to trace macrophage-matrix interactions. In the present work, we demonstrated for the first time that the macrophage-matrix interaction favors T. cruzi in vitro replication and the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines during macrophage infection, in addition to drastically altering the morphology of the macrophages and promoting the formation of migratory macrophages.

Identifying setting factors associated with improved ibogaine safety: a systematic review of clinical studies.

Ibogaine is a psychoactive alkaloid derived from the west-African shrub Tabernanthe iboga. Western cultures are increasing the interest for the substance due to its claimed anti addictive properties, although the evidence supporting this effect is still preliminary. The use of ibogaine often occurs with no medical supervision in uncontrolled settings, and its use has been associated with several reports of severe adverse events. This review aims to evaluate the clinical studies of ibogaine, with a focus on administration settings, to elucidate specific criteria that may promote safer contexts for ibogaine use. A systematic review of the literature was conducted based on PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Scielo, ClinicalTrials.gov and Core.ac.uk electronic databases were searched, and clinical studies published until November 17, 2022, were retrieved. The final synthesis included 12 sources. Information about general characteristics of the studies, adverse effects, screening of participants and setting characteristics were summarized and discussed. It is concluded that the use of controlled settings, supported by trained professionals and equipment allowing for rigorous medical, psychiatric, and cardiac monitoring, are essential to promote the safety of patients receiving ibogaine.

Antileishmanial Activity of Cinnamic Acid Derivatives against Leishmania infantum.

Leishmania infantum is the etiological agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in South America, the Mediterranean basin, and West and Central Asia. The most affected country, Brazil, reported 4297 VL cases in 2017. L. infantum is transmitted by female phlebotomine sand flies during successive blood meals. There are no validated vaccines to prevent the infection and the treatment relies on drugs that often present severe side effects, which justify the efforts to find new antileishmanial drugs. Cinnamic acid derivatives have shown several pharmacological activities, including antiparasitic action. Therefore, in the present study, the biological evaluation of cinnamic acid and thirty-four derivatives against L. infantum is reported. The compounds were prepared by several synthesis methods and characterized by spectroscopic techniques and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The results revealed that compound 32 (N-(4-isopropylbenzyl)cinnamamide) was the most potent antileishmanial agent (IC50 = 33.71 µM) with the highest selectivity index (SI > 42.46), followed by compound 15 (piperonyl cinnamate) with an IC50 = 42.80 µM and SI > 32.86. Compound 32 was slightly less potent and nineteen times more selective for the parasite than amphotericin B (MIC = 3.14 uM; SI = 2.24). In the molecular docking study, the most likely target for the compound in L. infantum was aspartyl aminopeptidase, followed by aldehyde dehydrogenase, mitochondrial. The data obtained show the antileishmanial potential of this class of compounds and may be used in the search for new drug candidates against Leishmania species.

Psychometric Properties of Food Frequency Questionnaires Used in Dentistry: A Systematic Review.

The objective of this systematic review was to analyze the quality of the food frequency instruments/scales used in dentistry while considering their psychometric properties. The databases consulted were PubMed (August 7, 2020), Scopus (August 27, 2020), Web of Science (August 27, 2020), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source (via EBSCO) (August 28, 2020), LILACS and BBO (August 25, 2020), gray literature: Proquest (October 1, 2020), Capes Theses Bank (October 1, 2020), Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (October 1, 2020), Google Scholar (October 2, 2020), and proceedings of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) (October 10, 2020). All databases were updated on December 12, 2022. Articles were initially selected by reading the 6,421 titles and 13 abstracts selected, followed by reading the 8 articles included for full text reading to confirm the eligibility criteria, with the aid of Rayyan software. Databases of the construction and/or validation of instruments/scales for assessing food consumption for use in dentistry (in clinical contexts and/or epidemiological studies), with or without assessment of their psychometric properties, were included. Review studies, letters to editors, and research protocols were excluded. Risk of bias assessment was performed according to the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. The extracted data were author, country, instrument language, sample, assessment instrument, instrument structure, type of food, instruments compared with the clinical condition, adaptation of an existing instrument, and psychometric properties evaluated. The selection, risk of bias analysis, and data extraction processes were performed by two independent evaluators. Seven studies were identified. The instruments available in the literature were in English, Japanese, Creole, and Malay. Only one study performed translation and cross-cultural validation of an instrument, whereas the others were construction studies. One study did not assess psychometric properties. Regarding the quality assessment and general classification of the studies by the COSMIN checklist, all were considered "inadequate," with reliability (test-retest) being the most validated psychometric property; only one study carried out the validation of all psychometric properties measured in COSMIN. Regarding the quality of the instruments presented, all the studies were classified as "inadequate" in the general assessment. Advances are needed in the validation process.

Anti-Trypanosomatidae Activity of Essential Oils and Their Main Components from Selected Medicinal Plants.

Kinetoplastida is a group of flagellated protozoa characterized by the presence of a kinetoplast, a structure which is part of a large mitochondria and contains DNA. Parasites of this group include genera such as Leishmania, that cause disease in humans and animals, and Phytomonas, that are capable of infecting plants. Due to the lack of treatments, the low efficacy, or the high toxicity of the employed therapeutic agents there is a need to seek potential alternative treatments. In the present work, the antiparasitic activity on Leishmania infantum and Phytomonas davidi of 23 essential oils (EOs) from plants of the Lamiaceae and Asteraceae families, extracted by hydrodistillation (HD) at laboratory scale and steam distillation (SD) in a pilot plant, were evaluated. The chemical compositions of the EOs were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additionally, the cytotoxic activity on mammalian cells of the major components from the most active EOs was evaluated, and their anti-Phytomonas and anti-Leishmania effects analyzed. L. infantum was more sensitive to the EOs than P. davidi. The EOs with the best anti-kinetoplastid activity were S. montana, T. vulgaris, M. suaveolens, and L. luisieri. Steam distillation increased the linalyl acetate, ß-caryophyllene, and trans-α-necrodyl acetate contents of the EOs, and decreased the amount of borneol and 1,8 cineol. The major active components of the EOs were tested, with thymol being the strongest anti-Phytomonas compound followed by carvacrol. Our study identified potential treatments against kinetoplastids.